Minutes
Furman University Faculty Meeting
April 3, 2008
Watkins Room, University Center
I. CALL TO ORDER.
Dr. Bob Fray called the meeting to order at 3:38 p.m., a quorum being present.
II. CONSENT AGENDA.
Dr. Fray asked whether anyone wished to consider the items on the Consent Agenda (approval of the minutes from the March faculty meeting, a special topics course, and redistribution of credits for MLL 28). There being no such requests, the Consent Agenda was adopted by general consent.
The following special topics course was approved:
HST 381: International Relations and the U.S. Revolution (4 credit course)
A travel study course that examines international relations during the era of the American Revolution, 1763-1789. Includes diplomacy, war, trade, and transnational political and ideological movements. The primary focus will be on Britain, Ireland, France, the Dutch Republic, and Spain.
The following redistribution of credits for MLL 28 was approved.
Information:
The Curriculum Committee voted to redistribute the course credits of 4-hours for MLL 28 (Language House). Currently, a student lives in the language house for one academic year and enrolls in one 4-credit class for the spring term. What was requested and approved was that the student would still live in the language house for one year, but enroll for 2-credits in the fall (MLL 265) and 2-credits in the spring (MLL266). Language houses are currently set up for Chinese, French, German, Japanese, and Spanish.
III. REPORTS OF OFFICERS AND STANDING COMMITTEES.
Dr. Fray reported for the Study Away Standing Committee and the Assistant Dean for Study Away. Guidelines and questionnaires for May Experience Study Away as well as regular semester travel programs have been developed and sent to department chairs. Dr. Fray asked chairs to send the questionnaire to study away participants in their departments. He reminded the faculty that the deadline for the May Experience 2009 was May 1, 2008.
Dr. Fray posted the policies and procedures for the Humanities Development Fund on Faculty Notices. Faculty who are interested in applying for funds should consult the procedures there.
Plans are in process for the faculty retreat. It will be a one-day retreat held campus on August 22, 2008. The tentative plans include convening at 10 a.m. at the Younts Conference Center. The morning programs will include a plenary session. The afternoon will have a number of small group sessions including information and tours, and sessions on issues concerning the new curriculum and advising. Following the afternoon sessions there will be a wine tasting, dinner, and entertainment at the Westin Poinsett Hotel. The main purpose of the retreat for this year is a social, joyful, celebration of our new academic era.
Dr Fray is working on the dates for the faculty meetings for next year and will send out the dates by email and will post them on Faculty Notices.
Dr. Nick Radel, Chair, Faculty Scholarship and Awards Committee, informed the faculty on the process for choosing the semi-finalists for the Bradshaw-Feaster and Donaldson-Watkins Medals for Excellence. Early in March the committee gets a list of all students with a 3.4 GPA or better. This year that was 300+ students. The students on this list are solicited for applications. This year there was approximately 80 female and 35 male applicants. The committee then selects 12 semi-finalists for each award. These names are then brought to the faculty who can nominate other students. If other students are nominated the committee will contact them and ask for an application. Dr. Radel asked that the faculty send all additional nominations to the committee by April 11, 2008.
In a few days, the committee will contact all faculty who were listed as references on the applications. These letters are due to the committee by April 21, 2008. The committee will then reduce the list of nominations down to three per award. The faculty will vote for the winner at the May faculty meeting. There is a list of criteria at the end of the report
Bradshaw-Feaster and Donaldson-Watkins Medals for Excellence
Below is a list of semi-finalists for the Bradshaw-Feaster and Donaldson-Watkins Medals of Excellence. All eligible students (graduating seniors with > 3.4 GPA) were invited to apply. The committee selected these 12 male and 12 female candidates based on applications received from those students who actually submitted an application. The next job of the Faculty Scholarship and Awards Committee is to narrow each list of 12 down to 3 finalists who will be voted on by the faculty at the May faculty meeting. We will be soliciting letters of support from faculty members listed by these students as references, but our committee welcomes input from any faculty member on any of these candidates. The deadline for receipt of letters is Monday, April 21, 2008. It is imperative that we have your letter by this date to allow our committee the time to evaluate each candidate fairly.
Donaldson-Watkins (Women) Bradshaw-Feaster (Men)
Elizabeth Cooke Gregory Amend
Page Bridges Brett McCarty
Kris Capogrossi Richard Jacques
Rachel Gillman Chad Miller
Lindsay Collins Thomas Gill
Jennifer Wilder Pete DeMarco
Lisa Mulvey Simon Lehtinen
Annette Trierweiler Matt Kuhn
Ke Ji Quinton White
Britt Carr Adam Pajan
Sarah Goforth Nathaniel Sizemore
Lindsay Hom Jimmy Hoke
Please note that these names should remain confidential within the faculty.
OTHER CANDIDATES:
If any faculty member wishes this committee to consider any other eligible candidates, or to reconsider any who have already applied, please follow the procedure outlined below.
1. E-mail Nick Radel the student’s name by Friday, April 11, 2008. If the student has already applied, we will reconsider her or his application.
2. If the student did not apply, we will ask you to contact the candidate and convince him or her to submit an application.
3. In either case, the committee will expect that a strong letter of support for the candidate will be received by the April 21 deadline.
DESCRIPTION OF AWARDS:
Donaldson-Watkins Medal for General Excellence. Given by the late Mrs. Elizabeth Wilson Donaldson and the late Mrs. Maude Wakefield Watkins, members of the class of 1889. Awarded by the faculty to a senior woman on the bases of scholarship, general culture, participation in college activities, and high moral character.
Bradshaw-Feaster Medal for General Excellence. Endowed by the late Dr. S. E. Bradshaw in continuation of the medal provided by the late W. L. Feaster of the class of 1913. Awarded by the faculty to a senior man on the bases of scholarship, general culture, participation in college activities, and high moral character.
Faculty Scholarship and Awards Committee
Nick Radel (Chair, English), Bill Brantley (Physics), Jeremy Cass (MLL), Trudy Fuller (Music), Min-Ken Liao (Biology), and Judy Stuart (Education).
Dr. Helen Lee Turner, Member, Curriculum Committee, MOVED that the following First Year Seminars be approved.
FYW ENG: Alien Visions
In this writing seminar we will explore literary, visual, and critical texts that offer varying representations of “the alien." For a number of writers and artists, the notion of the "alien" -- the foreign or the strange -- solicits a fascinating, almost troublingly idealized response. Think, for instance, of films and texts that longingly look to close encounters or contact with the unimaginably different. At other times -- perhaps more often -- the idea of the alien provokes a frightened, even violent, response. We will examine these varying responses to the alien from a number of perspectives (psychological, social, cultural) and in a wide range of works. Among the likely texts to be explored: Sophocles' Oedipus Rex/Oedipus at Colonus, Anne Tyler's Celestial Navigations, Scott Heim's Mysterious Skin, E.T.A Hoffman's The Sandman; Jamaica Kincaid's Annie John; likely films to be screened: Tim Burton's Edward Scissorhands, David Lynch's Elephant Man, Steven Spielberg's Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Andrew Horn's Nomi Song, Don Siegel's Invasion of the Body Snatchers; photography by Gregory Crewdson.
FYW ENG: Contemporary Issues on Film
This seminar will focus on films that address global, political, and social issues. The issues will change with each offering of the seminar: in one term the seminar might study films that explore the status of women in a variety of social and cultural contexts. In other terms, the seminar might consider, for example, black/white relationships or the representation of war.
FYW ENG: The Harlem Renaissance: At Home in the World
When Countee Cullen wrote the refrain “What is Africa to me?” in his 1925 poem “Heritage,” he localized an ancient Western preoccupation with “origins” in the context of the modernity of black life. This poetic line engages one of the foundational questions of the period; what is the relationship of black arts to its own doubled origins, “Africa” and the “New World?” What is “race,” and how is it constitutive of cultural production? How do we understand the debates of identity and difference that organized this historical moment? In this freshman writing class we will focus on texts from the period known as the Harlem Renaissance. Through analytic readings of poems, treatises, essays, and novellas, we will critically interpret the discourses by which the cultural production of the period is defined. We will also explore the ways in which this political and artistic movement, although long considered a phenomenon located in the United States, actually articulated (and continues to articulate) social concerns of black peoples across the globe. Authors may include W.E.B. Du Bois, Ida B. Wells-Barnett, James Weldon Johnson, Booker T. Washington, Paul Laurence Dunbar, Countee Cullen, Claude McKay, Jessie Fauset, Langston Hughes, Nella Larsen, Zora Neale Hurston, Sterling A. Brown, Eric Walrond, Wallace Thurman, and Helene Johnson.
Dr. Fray asked if there was any discussion. There was no discussion and the MOTION PASSED with a voice vote with no dissent.
Dr. Ken Abernethy, Chair, Academic Policies Committee, MOVED that the following courses be approved for CGA credit.
Recommended for Visual and Performing Arts (within Core: Human Cultures category) credit:
COM 121: Digital Communication
Explores the use of digital, electronic media in the cultivation of democratic society. Students will gather information and learn to transmit that information through blogs, podcasts, video, and other digital media.
Recommended for Natural World (Core: Empirical Studies category) credit:
PSY 28: Biopsychology
Study of the biological bases of behavior. Appropriate for all majors, particularly those with potential interest in neuroscience or psychology. Fundamentals of brain structure (gross and fine anatomy) and function (neurophysiology and chemical transmission). Overview of sensory systems from peripheral to central processing, including perception. Study of motor pathways and diseases of movement. Introduction to human neuropsychology, motivation, mood, memory and cognition. Lab projects focus on neuroanatomy and sensory systems.
Recommended for Analysis of Texts (within Core: Human Cultures category) credit:
FYW: Alien Visions
In this writing seminar we will explore literary, visual, and critical texts that offer varying representations of “the alien." For a number of writers and artists, the notion of the "alien" -- the foreign or the strange -- solicits a fascinating, almost troublingly idealized response. Think, for instance, of films and texts that longingly look to close encounters or contact with the unimaginably different. At other times -- perhaps more often -- the idea of the alien provokes a frightened, even violent, response. We will examine these varying responses to the alien from a number of perspectives (psychological, social, cultural) and in a wide range of works. Among the likely texts to be explored: Sophocles' Oedipus Rex/Oedipus at Colonus, Anne Tyler's Celestial Navigations, Scott Heim's Mysterious Skin, E.T.A Hoffman's The Sandman; Jamaica Kincaid's Annie John; likely films to be screened: Tim Burton's Edward Scissorhands, David Lynch's Elephant Man, Steven Spielberg's Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Andrew Horn's Nomi Song, Don Siegel's Invasion of the Body Snatchers; photography by Gregory Crewdson. (Vince Hausmann)
FYW: Harlem Renaissance: At Home in the World
When Countee Cullen wrote the refrain “What is Africa to me?” in his 1925 poem “Heritage,” he localized an ancient Western preoccupation with “origins” in the context of the modernity of black life. This poetic line engages one of the foundational questions of the period; what is the relationship of black arts to its own doubled origins, “Africa” and the “New World?” What is “race,” and how is it constitutive of cultural production? How do we understand the debates of identity and difference that organized this historical moment? In this freshman writing class we will focus on texts from the period known as the Harlem Renaissance. Through analytic readings of poems, treatises, essays, and novellas, we will critically interpret the discourses by which the cultural production of the period is defined. We will also explore the ways in which this political and artistic movement, although long considered a phenomenon located in the United States, actually articulated (and continues to articulate) social concerns of black peoples across the globe. Authors may include W.E.B. Du Bois, Ida B. Wells-Barnett, James Weldon Johnson, Booker T. Washington, Paul Laurence Dunbar, Countee Cullen, Claude McKay, Jessie Fauset, Langston Hughes, Nella Larsen, Zora Neale Hurston, Sterling A. Brown, Eric Walrond, Wallace Thurman, and Helene Johnson. (Victoria Chevalier)
Recommended for Core: Human Cultures: Historical Analysis credit:
REL ???: History of Western European Christianity 400-1300
A survey of the History of Christianity from Late Antiquity through the High Middle Ages. Emphasis on the interplay of religious and cultural change with special attention to institutional developments and to popular devotional practices.
REL ???: History of Western European Christianity 1300-1650
A survey of the History of Christianity from the late Middle Ages through the Early Modern Period.
Dr. Fray asked if there was any discussion. There was no discussion and the MOTION PASSED in a voice vote with no dissent.
Dr. Abernethy MOVED that the following courses be approved for concentration credits.
Recommended for Latin American Studies Concentration credit:
ART 260: Art of Pre-Columbian Societies
A survey of art and architecture of Pre-Columbian societies in Mesoamerica and South America. Consideration of style, iconography and aesthetics and of the functions of art and architecture within each culture.
Recommended for Ancient Greek and Roman Concentration credit:
ART 231: Arts of the Ancient World, II: Etruscans and Rome
Survey of the art and architecture of the ancient Etruscans and of Rome from the Republic through the Late Empire.
Recommended for Women’s and Gender Studies Concentration credit:
COM 435: Race, Gender, Class in the Media
his course examines how social perceptions of race, gender, and class are influenced by the mass media. Students explore the social connections between and among representations in print, film, electronic, digital media, institutional practices, and our experience of race, gender and class.
FYS: A Woman’s Place: Balancing Work and Family
This course examines the changing economic role of women and the effects these changes have had on women’s choices regarding careers, family, and fertility. This course assumes no prior background in economics, so some class time is devoted to teaching the basic economic concepts needed to understand and analyze gender differences in economic outcomes important to work and family. Using the tools of economic analysis, this course examines issues such as gender wage differences, occupational choice, discrimination, and family decision-making. An emphasis is placed on economic policies designed to address gender inequality, particularly those policies intended to promote equality in choices related to balancing market work and family formation. (MJ Horney)
Recommended for Black Culture in America Concentration credit:
COM 435: Race, Gender, Class in the Media
This course examines how social perceptions of race, gender, and class are influenced by the mass media. Students explore the social connections between and among representations in print, film, electronic, digital media, institutional practices, and our experience of race, gender and class.
Dr. Fray asked if there was any discussion. There was no discussion and the MOTION PASSED in a voice vote with no dissension.
Dr. Abernethy MOVED that the following changes to the Psychology Major be approved.
Background
The Psychology department recently changed its old research methods course (PSY 22 - Experimental and Statistical Methods) to form two new courses (PSY 201 - Research Methods & Statistics I, and PSY 202 - Research Methods & Statistics II) that will provide more extensive background in statistics and methodology for majors.
Proposed Change to Major Requirements
The Psychology department proposes that the major now require both (new) research methods courses for the major.
Changes to Catalog Copy (in bold)
To graduate with a major in psychology, a student must have an overall grade point average of at least 2.00 in all psychology courses.
A major must include:
? PSY 21 and 22 111, 201, 202, and
? Eight additional courses as specified by the department
It is recommended that majors enroll in PSY 22 201 and 202 immediately following PSY 21 111, or as soon as possible thereafter.
Dr. Fray asked if there was any discussion. There was no discussion and the MOTION PASSED in a voice vote with no dissent.
Dr. Abernethy MOVED that the following changes to the Communication Studies major be approved.
NEW COMMUNICATION STUDIES MAJOR REQUIREMENTS
The Communication Studies Department would like to make the following changes to our major requirements. The changes are prompted by our desire to stay at the cutting edge of recent developments in our field, our addition of new members to the faculty, and our recognition that the semester system should offer our students more flexibility in the design of their course of study. We have, of course, retained our commitment to a humanities orientation in a liberal arts context. The department wishes to:
1. Change from an 8-course major to a 9-course major: To graduate with a degree in Communication Studies, a student will now be required to complete a total of nine 4-credit courses (or, with May Experience classes, the equivalent – 36 credits), distributed as described below.
2. Change from three required courses to four. To graduate with a degree in Communication Studies, a student will now be required to take Public Speaking (COM 101), Introduction to Rhetoric (COM 201), Introduction to Mass Communication (COM 221), and Digital Communication (COM 121 – the new required course).
3. Change the distribution of courses as described below. This involves two general changes. First, we will no longer count PS 30, ENG 66, HUM 21 or other courses outside the major in what is now section 5. Second, given the new numbering system and a need for greater clarity, we have (in the “Detailed” description below) re-distributed student options among five (instead of three) sections.
So, for the APC committee’s deliberations, we offer both a simple and a detailed look at the new major:
I. THE SIMPLE VIEW
Majors must take 9 (4-credit) courses total. Students must take Com 101, 121, 201, and 221, at least 3 courses from 301-499, and may count only one course from 500-510 towards the major.
Section One: Majors must take COM 101 and 121.
COM 101: Public Speaking
COM 121: Digital Communication
COM 111: Argumentation
COM 131: Broadcast Communication
COM 141: Small Group Communication
Section Two: Majors must take COM 201 and 221 and three other courses.
COM 201: Introduction to Rhetoric
COM 221: Introduction to Mass Communication
COM 301: Rhetorical Criticism
COM 311: Rhetoric in the Ancient World
COM 312: Rhetoric in the Modern World
COM 315: US Public Address I: 1630– 865
COM 316: US Public Address II: 1866–Present
COM 321: Media Criticism
COM 331: Media History
COM 335: Political Economy of the Mass Media
COM 341: Interpersonal Communication
COM 343: Organizational Communication
COM 351: Advocacy
COM 353: Political Communication
COM 355: Propaganda
COM 401: Studies in Rhetoric
COM 411: African American Rhetoric
COM 412: International Women’s Rhetoric
COM 414: Rhetoric of Emerging Democracies
COM 421: Studies in Mass Communication
COM 435: Race, Class, & Gender in the Mass Media
COM 460: Communication Ethics
COM 461: Communication Law
COM 470: Seminar in Rhetoric
COM 475: Seminar in Mass Media
Section Three: Majors may take only one course as a major elective.
COM 501: Directed Independent Study in Communication
COM 502: Directed Research in Communication
COM 503: Directed Individual Internship
COM 504: Communication Internship Class
COM 509: Forensics
II. THE MORE DETAILED (AND ACCURATE) VIEW
If approved, this is the format all department advisors will use to explain options to their advisees. Students must take all courses in section 1 (COM 101 and COM 121) and all courses in section 3 (COM 201 and COM 221). Student must take a total of nine courses (or, with May Experience courses, the equivalent – 36 credits). To complete the nine-course requirement, students may choose one of five options:
1. Four required courses (101, 121, 201, 221) + one course from section 2 + three courses from section 4 + one course from section 5; or . . .
2. Four required courses (101, 121, 201, 221) + one course from section 2 + four courses from section 4 + no courses from section 5; or . . .
3. Four required courses (101, 121, 201, 221) + two courses from section 2 + three courses from section 4 + no courses from section 5; or . . .
4. Four required courses (101, 121, 201, 221) + no courses from section 2 + four courses from section 4 + one course from section 5; or . . .
5. Four required courses (101, 121, 201, 221) + no courses from section 2 + five courses from section 4 + no courses from section 5
So, beyond the four required courses the options are:
§ 2 (no more than two) § 4 (at least three) § 5 (no more than one)
1 3 1
1 4 0
2 3 0
0 4 1
0 5 0
Section 1: Entry-Level Skills Courses: Majors MUST take COM 101 and COM 121
COM 101: Public Speaking (old COM 20/24)
COM 121: Digital Communication (New)
Section 2: Additional 100-Level Courses: Majors MAY count up to TWO
COM 111: Argumentation (old COM 22)
COM 131: Broadcast Communication (old COM 29)
COM 141: Small Group Communication (New)
FYS/FYW: First-Year Seminar taught by department faculty
Special Topics – First-Year Level: COM 180, COM 181, etc, as needed
Section 3: Introductory Courses: Majors MUST take COM 201 and COM 221
COM 201: Introduction to Rhetoric (old COM 30)
COM 221: Introduction to Mass Communication (old COM 40)
Section 4: Upper-Level Courses: Majors MUST take at least THREE and MAY count up to FIVE
Special Topics – Sophomore Level: COM 280, COM 281, etc, as needed
COM 301: Rhetorical Criticism (old COM 32)
COM 311: Rhetoric in the Ancient World (New)
COM 312: Rhetoric in the Modern World (New)
COM 315: U.S. Public Address I: 1630– 1865 (revised old COM 34)
COM 316: U.S. Public Address II: 1866–Present (revised old COM 34)
COM 321: Media Criticism (old COM 44)
COM 331: Media History (New)
COM 335: Political Economy of the Mass Media (New)
COM 341: Interpersonal Communication (old COM 52)
COM 343: Organizational Communication (old COM 50)
COM 351: Advocacy (revised old COM 26)
COM 353: Political Communication (old COM 38)
COM 355: Propaganda (New)
Special Topics – Junior Level: COM 380 or COM 381, etc, as needed
COM 401: Studies in Rhetoric (old COM 36)
COM 411: African America Rhetoric (offered 4x under old COM 36)
COM 412: International Women’s Rhetoric (New)
COM 414: Rhetoric of Emerging Democracies (New)
COM 421: Studies in Mass Communication (New)
COM 435: Race, Gender, & Class in the Mass Media (New)
COM 460: Communication Ethics (New)
COM 461: Communication Law (old COM 46)
COM 470: Seminar in Rhetoric (New)
COM 475: Seminar in Mass Media (New)
Special Topics – Senior Level: COM 480 or COM 481, etc, as needed
Section 5: Directed Study/Engaged Learning Courses: Students MAY count ONE (4 credits) toward the major
COM 501: Directed Independent Study in Communication (old COM 80)
COM 502: Directed Research in Communication (New)
COM 503: Directed Individual Internship (revised old COM 83)
COM 504: Communication Internship Class (revised old COM 83)
COM 509: Forensics (Intercollegiate Speech & Debate) (New)
Dr. Fray asked if there was any discussion. There was no discussion and the MOTION PASSED in a voice vote with no dissent.
Dr. Doug Rall, Chair, Nominating Committee, MOVED that the following nominations to replace two students on the Academic Policies Committee be approved by the faculty. The committee made these nominations after consulting with Christina Henderson, President of the Association of Furman Students.
Nominations to replace two students on the Academic Policies Committee for the remainder of the 2007-08 academic year: Emily Wilson, Julianna Battenfield
Dr. Fray asked if there was any discussion. There was no discussion and the MOTION PASSED in a voice vote with no dissent.
Dr. Rall MOVED that the following slate of officers and committee members for 2008-2009 be approved by the faculty. Dr. Rall thanked the members of the nominating committee for their hours of work particularly during winter term and the month of March. Dr. Rall explained that the committee gets information from faculty as to the committees they would like to serve on, as well as the committees they would prefer not to serve on. The committee then gathers information on faculty sabbaticals and study away courses. This is then matched against committee vacancies. There are 19 committees and this year there was around 121 slots to fill. Nominations were made to each committee keeping in mind gender, rank, and division representations.
Chair of the Faculty Bob Fray
Vice Chair of the Faculty Judy Grisel
Recorder Victoria Welborn
[Names of the committee chairs are in boldface italics. Names of first-year members are underlined.]
Academic Computing Faculty: P. Pecoy, C. Healy, R. McClain, R. Schmidt, G. Springsteen, J. Yankow
Academic Discipline Faculty: D. Roe, J. Garihan, V. Hausmann, T. Matthews, L. Young
Students: Jordan Mangum, William Walker
Alternate Faculty: C. Brewer, R. Sneed, D. Wang
Academic Policies Faculty: J. Harris, J. Cox, D . Cummins, D. Koppelman, S. Roberson, D. Turner
Students: Andrew Heyward, Montrelle Robertson
Admissions Faculty: M. Cook, M. Brodeur, D. Gandolfo, C. Stetler, P. Thomas, D. Vecchio
Students: Addison Howard, Melissa Mabry
Appeals Faculty: V. Yockey, R. Friis, T. Joiner, G. Lewis, B. Siegel, R. Underwood
Cultural Life Faculty: M. Svec, K. Bhati, K. Buckmueller, D. Gross, H. Patton, N. Shell
Students: Desirae Clodfelter, Quentin James
Curriculum Faculty: S. Ritter, D. Cummins, S. Nair, E. Nocks, D. Sloughter, H. L. Turner
Students: Andrew Barnhill, Jodi Walker
Due Process Faculty: B. Aarnes, S. Henderson, H. Porter, B. Thomas, L. Wright
Faculty-Administration Faculty: S. Worth, M. Britt, K. Karwan, B. Ranson, T. Tessitore, J. Wheeler
Liaison
Faculty Scholarship and Faculty: N. Radel, M. Black, B. Brantley, T. Fuller, M. K. Liao, J. Stuart
Awards
Faculty Status Faculty: P. Rasmussen, B. Blaker, D. Bost, N. Hecker, A. Leen, R. Morgan
First-Year Seminar Faculty: S. Crowe, M. Fairbairn, C. King, D. Redburn, N. Schisler, M. Watkins
Students: Shun Griffin, Kelley Ward
Fringe Benefits Faculty: B. Brown, T. Bright, S. Chen, W. Dripps, B. Kelly, S. Smajic
and Welfare
Individualized Faculty: M. Stone, R. Bryson, E. Hestermann, M. Oakes, D. Penniston, A. Powers
Curriculum Students: Nathan Guinn, Ashley Simmons
Library Faculty: B. Vick, P. Kooistra, Lon Knight, R. Moss, I. Nakayama, B. Prince
Students: Samantha Donner, Lindsay Shane
Nominating Faculty: D. Rall, J. Barrington, C. Epright, C. Fraser, D. Haney, L. Hicken
Policies and Procedures Faculty: L. Dejong, B. Chesebro, C. DeLancey, P. Gabbert, J. Horney, T. Lewis
Research and Faculty: G. Einstein, E. Anderson, B. Goess, K. Hutson, M. Kilstofte, S. Matthews
Professional Growth
Study Away Faculty: E. Ching, T. Hanks, C. Hutton, Lisa Knight, B. Nelsen, C. Patterson
Students: Samuel Giffin, Emily Wilson
Although the following are not faculty committees, faculty members for these groups are recommended by the Nominating Committee and approved by the faculty with the regular slate of faculty committees each year.
Graduate Council Faculty: R. Abunasser, H. Sherard
Traffic Board Faculty: M. Huntsberger, P. Kooistra, D. Landi, M. Roddey
Dr. Fray asked if there was any discussion. There was no discussion and the MOTION PASSED in a voice vote with no dissent.
Dr. Lorraine DeJong, Chair, Policies and Procedures Committee, informed the faculty that the committee will be working very hard over the next few months to bring policies and procedures forward that are calendar sensitive or need to be changed due to the re-organization of senior administration. She is bringing one policy today which needs to be changed due to the calendar change.
Dr. DeJong MOVED that the faculty approve the following changes in Policy 186.2 Faculty Meetings.
186.2 Faculty Meetings
Created by: Stephanie Ferguson on 2/5/1999
Category: 1 - Academic Affairs; 80 - Procedures
~
Originator: Acad. Adm. & Faculty Status Committee
Current File: 186.2
Adoption Date: 9/6/2005
Reviewed for Currency: 9/6/2005
~
Replaces File: 186.2
Date of Origin: 7/2/1974
~
Classification: Faculty
~
In Archive? No
[Image:552008_24433_0.png]186.2 Faculty Meetings
~
A. Background
The business of the faculty is transacted at regularly scheduled faculty meetings and at special called meetings.
~
B. Policy
Faculty members are expected to attend faculty meetings and to be familiar with the announced agenda.
~
C. Guidelines
1. The faculty regularly normally meets a minimum of five four times during the academic year. Ordinarily, at least two meetings each are scheduled during the fall and spring terms semesters. and one during the winter.
~2. The meetings are normally scheduled at 3:30 P.M. The meetings should not be scheduled on the same day in order to minimize absences by those who might have fixed responsibilities on a given day of the week. The Faculty Chair will publish a schedule of faculty meetings at the beginning of the academic year.
~3. Reminders and agenda are distributed electronically before each meeting. Usually items of new business are distributed to the faculty at least one week prior to the faculty meeting.
~4. Special meetings may be called according to the procedures specified in the Faculty Constitution.
~5. Faculty are expected to attend the meetings and to be familiar with the issues on the agenda. Active participation in the meetings is encouraged and welcomed.
6. Every faculty member, as defined in the Constitution, is entitled to vote.
...........................
Dr. Fray asked if there was any discussion. There was no discussion and the MOTION PASSED in a voice vote with no dissent.
Dr. DeJong asked if there were any questions or discussions about the three policies before the faculty concerning library faculty; the revision of policy 155.5 and the two new policies 155.2 and 155.3. There was no discussion.
IV. NEW BUSINESS.
There was no new business.
V. ANNOUNCEMENTS.
Lynne Shackleford, Chair, Implementation Task Force Steering Committee, shared information about the May Experience. She encouraged faculty to take the May Experience survey, even if they are not participating in 2009. She asked that the survey be completed by April 7th.
Since the May Experience is the great unknown in our new curriculum, effective planning is essential for its inaugural success. The May Experience FAQs have been sent out and are also posted on the ITF web site. Dr. Shackleford encouraged faculty to acquaint themselves with this information as they advise students. The May Experience web site is under development and will be up in the next several weeks.
Dr. Shackleford assured the faculty that the university is well prepared for the new curriculum and calendar. At the next ITF meeting Provost Kazee will lead a discussion on assessment of the new curriculum, and once that is complete, the next order of business is celebration.
Dr. Wright, Chemistry, asked how students are being informed as she has had advisees who don’t seem to know much. Mr. Brad Barron responded that the academic records web site has been updated. Students will get an email message on Monday April 7th about the new new processes. The paper course listing, the final one for Furman, will be in mailboxes the week of April 14th. The registration tool will be live 7-10 days before they have to submit their choices. Mr. Barron reminded faculty that the courses that can be used for requirements begin this fall and will not count retroactively.
Dr. David Rutledge, a member of the Sustainability Planning Group, asked the faculty to complete the survey on transportation. This is part of the process of Furman establishing its current carbon footprint in order to reduce it as part of the Presidents’ Climate Commitment. Dr. Rutledge thanked Scott Salzman, Scott Derrick and David Redburn who worked on the survey.
Dr. Ken Abernethy, Chair, SACS Self-Study Steering Commmittee, announced that the SACS’s Visiting Committee will be on campus next week. He gave a quick overview of the process. The Furman SACS committee submitted a compliance report in September. There was a review of the report and 17 issues were identified for Furman to address. Two of these that faculty or chairs may hear about during the visit were criteria for institutional effectiveness and evidence that the faculty are setting and assessing goals. Other issues included capstone experiences and general education competencies. The purpose of the onsite visit is to judge Furman’s compliance and to judge the quality enhancement program. Furman has adopted the First Year Seminar as the enhancement plan. At the end of five years we will make a report to SACS on the FYS program, presenting our assessment for the five-year period. Dr. Robin Visel will work on assessing FYSs.
VI. ADJOURNMENT OF BUSINESS MEETING.
The meeting was adjourned at 4.23 p.m.
Open Forum
President Shi informed the faculty that Furman is on the verge of announcing some new grants from foundations. He will be able to be more specific at the May faculty meeting. There will be a lot of good news in the May meeting largely resulting from faculty members ideas and willingness to convert ideas to grant proposals and the excellence of the staff in the grants office.
The fundraising campaign, Because Furman Matters, continues to go well and so far there has not been a significant amount of pushback as a result of the economy.
Dr. Brent Nelsen asked if the 9/11 memorial on the mall side of Furman Hall was completed. President Shi was not sure and would check with the architect.
President Shi stated that the Child Development Center project continues. The next step is to revise the architectural plans to get more refined cost estimates. Work on the project has slowed down a bit as Furman and the Y have focused more on the FYI center in downtown Greenville over the last months. President Shi will try to have a fresh update by May.
It is more likely now than it was over the last several weeks that Furman will purchase the Vinings apartment complex. Furman is assessing the wisdom of using a HUD subsidized loan. If Furman does acquire the Vinings, it will be in May. We will get pool passes.
President Shi says work is progressing on the Southern Living Showcase Home. They hope to arrange a time for Furman faculty and staff to tour the home before it is open to the public.
Dr. Nelsen asked President Shi about the summer programs. Since students are no longer able to apply comprehensive fees towards summer programs there is concern that the number of students in summer programs will drop significantly. This raises some concerns about the Charleston and Washington programs. Petitions have been sent to the trustees and administration. Dr. Shi will look into it.
President Shi said that the disciplinary process is underway for the alleged rape case which was reported in the Greenville news. President Shi said there is nothing more significant on a college campus than addressing these kinds of problems.
Dr. Ken Peterson asked about the status of the warning system. Dean Beckford said that at least a portion of it was up and running during the winter storm. President Shi suggested to Dr. Fray that Bob Miller and others working on the system be invited to come to a faculty meeting and give a report on the system.
The Southern Living Showcase Home is nearing completion, with official activities to start early to mid-June. The plan is to schedule a day where faculty and staff can tour before official tours begin.
Mr. Bill Berg, Director of Planning and Institutional Research, gave his annual report on faculty salaries. The salaries used are adjusted for cost of living and contributions to retirement. The report was based on Fall 2007 salaries. Furman salaries were roughly in the middle of the peer group at all three ranks. As a percentage of the peer group average, Furman average salaries were at 96.8% for full professors, 99.2% for associate professors and 100.9% for assistant professors.
Ms. Idella Glenn, Director of Multicultural Affairs, reported on the Furman University diversity survey. The survey took place in 2006 and was sent out to all faculty, staff and students. As a result of looking at the data, Ms. Glenn and the Diversity Council have the following recommendations: get the information out to various councils, the chairs, faculty, etc.; track the diversity of faculty staff, and students; address the perception of race, religious, and sexual tension on Furman campus with more comprehensive diversity training including training on why diversity is important; recruit a more diverse student body, emphasizing lower socio-economic backgrounds; and recruit more women and minorities in full time tenure track positions.
Dr. Rutledge asked if Ms. Glenn participated in the selection of students who receive Hollingsworth scholarships. She said she does not. Dean Beckford said that Benny Walker had sent out an email noting the various characteristics of the Hollingsworth scholars just selected. There was a discussion as to what was the purpose of the Hollingsworth scholarship—to fund the best and the brightest or to fund those with the most need. Dean Beckford said Mr. Walker considers both. Bill Berg stated that 70 % of the Hollingsworth scholars demonstrated financial need as opposed to 52% of the student body.
Respectfully submitted,
Victoria Welborn
Faculty Recorder
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Minutes
Furman University Faculty Meeting
March 10, 2008
Watkins Room, University Center
I. CALL TO ORDER
The meeting was called to order at 3:37 p.m.; a quorum being established.
II. CONSENT AGENDA (Posted)
Dr. Robert Fray stated that the Consent Agenda consisted of the minutes of the February 6, 2008 meeting, the list of Special Topics courses approved by the Curriculum Committee, and the revised Policy 111.8, Director of Admissions. The policy 367.5 Risk Management and Off-Campus Programs, previously posted as a Consent Agenda item, has been removed from the consent agenda.
Dr. Shirley Ritter, Chair, Curriculum Committee, told the faculty that two courses should be removed from the Special Topics Endorsed list; AS 2xx/95: The Ramayana: Gods, Myths, Moral Dilemmas and AS 2xx/95: Music and Popular Culture in South Asia. They will be added to the list of regular courses to be approved.
Dr. Fray asked if anyone would like to remove an item from the Consent Agenda. Since there were no such requests the Consent Agenda was approved by general consent.
The following Special Topics course was approved.
ACC 380/ 95: Governmental & Nonprofit Accounting (4 credit course)
An intermediate-level study of financial reporting for state and local governments, with coverage of accounting for other types of non-business entities and of governmental and nonprofit auditing. The course covers fund accounting concepts and practices as well as government-wide financial reporting and the relationships between the two.
The following policy was approved.
Director Of Admissions
111.8 Director of Admissions
Created by: Pat Teague on 2/5/1999
Category: 1 - Academic Affairs; 10 - Organization
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Originator: Vice President for Enrollment
Current File: 111.8
Adoption Date: 10/12/1998
Reviewed for Currency: 11/28/2001
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Replaces File: 111.8
Date of Origin: 5/21/1986
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Classification: Faculty
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In Archive? No
[Image:3252008_114831_0.png]111.8 Director of Admissions
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Background
Candidates for undergraduate admission to the day school must complete applications and necessary forms in a central office for the purpose of admitting students who can benefit from Furman’s educational program. The Admissions Office is under the supervision of a Director of Admissions.
The Admissions Office is responsible for administering the admissions process for the undergraduate day program as determined by the faculty admissions committee. The Director of Admissions supervises this office.
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B. Policy
The Director of Admissions is responsible reports to the Vice President for Enrollment for matters concerning the recruitment programs and admissions procedures of for all the undergraduate students studying in the day school in the day program.
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C. Guidelines
1. The Director of Admissions is appointed by the Vice President for Enrollment.
2. The Director of Admissions is charged with giving leadership to the professional staff of the Admissions Office: admissions counselors and a support staff.
3. The duties and functions of the director include the following:
Direct the program of recruitment of students including travel of staff, development of promotional literature, on-campus programs for prospective students and high school counselors;
Serve as a liaison to on the Admissions Committee and is be responsible for providing this committee with information required by it required to do its work as well as putting into practice the policies developed by this committee in making decisions on applications for admission;
Interview prospective students and their parents and represent the university at high school college information programs
Develop and recommend the budget for operating the Admissions Office and be responsible for expediting programs within this budget;
Serve on several important university committees, both faculty and administrative;
Represent the university at professional meetings (College Board, National Association of Collegiate Admissions Officers, etc.).
III. REPORTS OF OFFICERS AND STANDING COMMITTEES
Dr. Fray recognized and congratulated Dr. John Beckford as the new Dean of the Faculty. He thanked the Search Committee for carrying out the search for the Dean of the Faculty in a thorough, expeditious, and professional manner.
When the Implementation Task Force began its work, four subcommittees were formed. Two of these subcommittees completed their assignments last year; First Year Seminars and Study Away. The subcommittee for Core Requirements and Global Awareness has resumed its work and the May Experience Subcommittee has now completed its assignment. An ad hoc committee has been appointed to oversee the May Experience and will eventually recommend a continuing structure to administer this part of the curriculum.
Dr. Fray recognized and thanked the May Experience Subcommittee.
Dr. Lloyd Benson, History, will chair the new ad hoc committee on the May Experience. Other committee members are Dr. Bill Aarnes, English; Dr. Jeremy Cass, Modern Languages and Literatures; Dr. Paula Gabbert, Computer Science; Dr. Brian Goess, Chemistry; Dr. Christopher Hutton, Music; Dr. Jane Love, CTEL; and Dr. Cinnamon Stetler, Psychology.
Dr. Fray reminded faculty to stand during discussions and to use the microphones.
Dr. Shirley Ritter, Chair, Curriculum Committee, thanked the Curriculum Committee for their hours of work, Mr. Brad Barron for technical support, and Dr. Kevin Treu for working out the course proposal system.
Dr. Ritter MOVED that the following regular courses, which include the two Asian studies courses removed from the Special Topics classes, be approved.
AS 2xx/95: The Ramayana: Gods, Myths, Moral Dilemmas (4 credit course)
In this course we examine various versions (text, film, television, etc.) of the Indian epic Ramayana with the intention of addressing the profound and long lasting influence this narrative has had on the religion, morals, culture, politics, and society of South and Southeast Asia.
AS 2xx/95: Music and Popular Culture in South Asia (4 credit course)
This course is an introduction to the greatly diverse popular cultures of South Asia, including music, film, and art. Through listening, selected readings, films, and discussion, we will address issues of religion, gender, politics, ethnic and regional identity, cultural property, globalization, and the effect of mass media on South Asian popular culture.
BA 422/48: Integrated Marketing Communications (4 credit course)
An introduction to the field of advertising and promotions management from a systematic, organizational standpoint. Focus on the traditional area of advertising, but also on other areas of marketing communication such as direct marketing, sales promotion, interactive media, publicity/public relations, sponsorship marketing, point-of-purchase communications, and personal selling.
BA 441/56: International Financial Management (4 credit course)
A study of international markets and the financial operations that take place in those markets. The financial aspects and operations of multinational corporations are highlighted. Key topics covered include exchange rate behavior and risk management, financing of international operations, and international capital budgeting.
ENG 250: Interpretive Strategies (4 credit course)
This foundational course will address issues and questions specific to literary and cultural analysis and in the process will explore various interpretive strategies through which ideas of “the literary” and of “literary study” are engaged. The content and perspective of this course will vary according to instructor. Some questions may include: How do we determine the literariness of a text? What is the difference between a “work” and a “text”? How can we talk meaningfully about authorial intention? How do history, culture, politics, “race,” gender, social class, and sexuality, generate meaning in a text? Students will read primary theoretical texts, and will write about how theories of literature might inform ways of reading prose, poetry, drama, and/or film. By the end of the term, students should have a sense of how over the years critical debate has shaped the many practices of reading literature.
ENG 503/83: Individualized Internship (4 credit course)
A student will develop an internship to work at a business, agency or media site for approximately 150 hours over the term and will meet the objectives of a learning agreement completed with the employer and approved by a faculty sponsor. Requirements include a work journal, portfolios, and assigned academic papers relating to their internship. Open primarily to seniors and juniors. A student must have the permission of the instructor and an internship position secured to be enrolled. may be taken only once. May not be taken for major credit. No pass/fail.
ENG 504/86: Internship Course (4 credit course)
Students will develop internships at businesses, agencies, or media sites for approximately 150 hours over the term and will meet the objectives of a learning agreement completed with the employer and approved by a faculty sponsor. The internship site must permit the student a significant degree of professional writing. A weekly seminar class focuses on the objectives and issues of students’ experiences as they develop their verbal and written communication skills. Course requirements include a work journal, portfolios, and academic papers relating to their internship. The course is open primarily to seniors and juniors. Students must have the permission of the instructor and an internship position secured to be enrolled in the class. The course grants major credit, and may be taken only once. No pass/fail.
FR 465: French Cinema (4 credit course)
The course is a survey of French and Francophone cinema from the 1920s era of silent film to the present day. Students will explore the historical context of each era, and become familiar with the principle film genres, directors and actors.
FR___: History of France (4 credit course)
This course will present a chronological survey of the history of France from approximately 1000 to the present. Topics will include but not be limited to history, geography, politics, and the arts.
HST 221: The American (U.S.) Revolution (4 credit course)
Investigates the ideas, the violence, and the accidents that gave rise to an independent United States of America. Explores the relationship between the Revolution and broader movements such as nationalism and anti-slavery. Stresses the Revolution’s European and global contexts.
HST 263: The Atomic Bomb in History and Culture (4 credit course)
The explosion of the atomic bomb over the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945 ushered in a new era of warfare, of scientific prominence, of civic anxiety, and political challenge. This course explores the interaction of science, politics, strategy, and culture in the studies of historians as well as in the literature, films, and theater in twentieth century Japan and the United States.
HST 268: Twentieth century China (4 credit course)
This course invites students to investigate, interpret and debate China’s turbulent twentieth century experience. Following an intensive introduction to Chinese history and approaches to historical analysis, students will embark upon an examination of the extraordinary political, social and cultural transformations of this century through a series of case studies structured largely around sets of primary source documents.
JPN 402: Advanced Japanese II (4 credit course)
A continuation of JPN 401, emphasizing reading of academic articles and books, writing of short academic papers, listening to advanced materials, and pursuasive and rhetorical speech and discussion.
MUS 020: Freshman Music Colloquium (0 credit course)
A colloquium devoted to topics relevant to the intended music major including aspects of practical application to music study and to issues of career and professional development. Each session is taught by faculty and guests with relevant expertise.
MUS 113: Theory/Composition Seminar (1 credit course)
Issues and topics relevant to contemporary music in general, current day compositional methods, techniques and literature in particular, and forum for presentation and discussion of works by invited guests, faculty, and students.
MUS 313: Modal Counterpoint (4 credit course)
Comprehensive study of the ecclesiastical vocal style typical of the sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries. Emphasis on counterpoint in two, three, and four voices based on polyphonic models by Palestrina, Lassus, Victoria, and others.
MUS 320: Music History II (4 credit course)
A survey of the development of musical style, this course covers the period from c. 1650 to c. 1890. Representative examples of music are discussed, with an emphasis on social-historical context.
MUS 322: Music Literature Topics: Italian Madrigals (2 credit course)
A study of the genre of the Italian madrigal as it developed in the 16th and 17th centuries. This course will cover the development of the polyphonic madrigal in the Renaissance through the Seconda Prattica at the turn of the 17th century and the rise of the concerted madrigal of the early Baroque period.
MUS 410: Tonal Counterpoint (4 credit course)
In-depth study of eighteenth century contrapuntal style through analysis of works by Bach, Handel, and their contemporaries. Emphasis on composing free counterpoint in two, three, and four voices, and imitative works such as invention and fugue.
MUS 512: Vocal Pedagogy (2 credit course)
An in-depth study of the science and application of vocal techniques for the teaching of singing
MUS 5X0: Performance Topics (2 credit course)
Designed as an enhancement to the first semester of private studio study of an instrument or voice, this course provides systematic exposure to a wide gamut of technical and artistic musical performance issues. To be enrolled with Performance Studies.
PS 251: International Peace and Security (4 credit hours)
Examination of security challenges facing leaders in the twenty-first century. Topics include WMD, wars of insurgency, terrorism, peace keeping, nation building, and ethnic conflict.
PSY 201: Research Methods and Statistics I (4 credit course)
Introduction to the principles of science, research design, data collection with animals and humans, statistical analysis, and scientific writing. Designed to acquaint students with the scientific methods used to study behavior; covers the fundamental methodological, statistical, and writing skills necessary for most advanced psychology courses. Lab work, computer analysis of data, and written reports of laboratory projects are integral to the course.
PSY 202: Research Methods and Statistics II (4 credit course)
A continuation of Research Methods and Statistics I that focuses on more advanced research designs, statistical analyses, and scientific writing. Lab work, computer analysis of data, and written reports of laboratory projects are integral to the course.
SCI 16: Mission to Mars (4 credit course)
An interdisciplinary analysis of plans to develop a manned space mission to Mars from a physical science perspective, with a focus on experimentation, historical contributions, and the relationship between science and society.
SCI 17: The Living Universe (4 credit course)
Major discoveries and controversies in science with emphasis on biology / geology are analyzed with reference to their history, scientific basis, and public perception. Laboratories focus on critical analysis of student generated data.
Dr. Fray asked if there was any discussion. There was no discussion and the MOTION PASSED with voice vote with no dissent.
Dr. Ritter MOVED that the following courses be approved as First Year Seminars. All are 4 credit courses.
FYS CHM: Evaluating the Science of Global Climate Change
The overarching goal of this seminar is to develop participating students’ abilities in the acquisition, interpretation, critical evaluation, and communication of scientific information. This particular seminar will use global climate change as its case study.
FYS CHM: Nuclear Power: Pros and Cons
The future role of nuclear power as a complement to fossil fuels or renewable energy sources (such as solar, wind, biofuels) in the US and world energy mix will be explored. A particular emphasis will be the advantages and disadvantages of nuclear fission technology for electricity production.
FYW CL: Homer and History
Follow the history of Homer's great war-poem, the Iliad, from the Bronze Age and the invention of writing, through the tyranny and democracy of Athens, the library of Alexandria, to its rescue from the ruins of Constantinople in the 1400s. No prerequisites.
FYS COM: 2008 Presidential Campaign Messages
This course investigates the messages the 2008 Presidential candidates use in speaking events, debates, and advertising. Students engage in class discussions, write papers, and deliver relevant speeches pertaining to the rhetorical issues in the 2008 presidential campaign.
FYS ECN: A Woman's Place: Balancing Work and Family
This course examines the changing economic role of women and the effects these changes have had on women’s choices regarding careers, family, and fertility. This course assumes no prior background in economics, so some class time is devoted to teaching the basic economic concepts needed to understand and analyze gender differences in economic outcomes important to work and family. Using the tools of economic analysis, this course examines issues such as gender wage differences, occupational choice, discrimination, and family decision-making. An emphasis is placed on economic policies designed to address gender inequality, particularly those policies intended to promote equality in choices related to balancing market work and family formation.
FYW ECN: Is Wal-Mart a Monster or a Miracle?
In 1945, Sam Walton purchased a Ben Franklin variety store from the Butler Brothers Franchise. By 1962, he had opened the first Wal-Mart. Today, Wal-Mart is among the largest corporations in the world with sales that exceed 250 billion dollars. This course examines the economic forces and business decisions that contributed to Wal-Mart's extraordinary growth. It examines the controversies related to "big-box" retail stores, including their effects on local businesses, consumers, traffic congestion, and urban development. It examines the emergence of Wal-Mart's "global supply chain" and its implications for efficiency and well-being in the United States and developing countries. It also considers the effects of Wal-Mart's exceptional buying power and its controversial labor practices. In the end, we assess whether Wal-Mart is the economic miracle of our time or a monster that should be contained by government policy and regulation.
FYW ECN: The Wealth of Nations
Adam Smith’s An Inquiry Into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations (1776) is, arguably, the most important book on economics ever published. This work essentially created the discipline of economics as a modern social science, and practically every field of economic study can trace its roots to the work. Perhaps more importantly, the central tenets of the book provide the intellectual rationale for the free enterprise system of markets and government embraced by much of the modern world. Using selections from the Wealth of Nations as the point of departure for discussion, this seminar addresses the central questions of political economy: What makes some nations wealthy and others poor? Which is the best economic system? How are a country’s wealth and income distributed among its citizens? What are the concerns relating to an unequal distribution of income? How should we provide aid to the poor? In addition to looking for answers to these questions in the Wealth of Nations, supplemental materials are drawn from a wide variety of sources to explore the answers that other great (and not-so-great) economic thinkers of the past 300 years have supplied in order to see how modern economic thought and criticism has evolved from the time of Adam Smith.
FYW ENG: Beauty and Its Discontents
This course examines the ways in which beauty has been philosophically theorized, culturally constructed, and artistically represented from the mid-eighteenth century to the present postmodern moment. Among other issues and problems, we shall consider the vexed relationship between beauty, sexuality, and gender; the links between perception, power, and possession; the dismissal/denigration of beauty in modern art and the "return to beauty" in the 1990s and after. The aim of the course is not naive, uncritical "beauty appreciation" but rather the constructive problematization of the discourse on beauty as a nexus of political, ideological, and aesthetic programs.
FYW ENG: Bodies, Souls, Machines
This course will investigate literary, filmic, and other representations of two interrelated impulses in modernity and postmodernity: the mechanization and (tentatively speaking) dehumanization of the human subject, and the anthropomorphization of the machine. While the obvious loci of intersection here are humanoid automata, androids, and cyborgs, we shall also consider the ways in which the human body is systemically routinized and mechanized (treated in terms of productivity, efficiency, time management, and so on) in industrial and capitalist society, and how machines are anthropomorphized well before the invention of computers and robots.
FYW ENG: Contemporary American Popular Culture
A study of contemporary American popular culture that will examine topics ranging from daytime talk shows to MMORPGs. By examining current theories of cultural representation, the course will attempt to reach a definition of culture that is grounded in the political, social, and economic contexts of modern American life. Students' written work will venture answers to some of the questions central to the examination of popular culture. Is popular culture merely a debased alternative to high culture, or is it an important site of expression and conflict? Is there a “culture industry” that defines American tastes, or do American tastes define the production of popular culture?
FYS ENG: Spectacular Imaginings
"Spectacular Imaginings" will explore films and critical texts that offer varying representations of the "spectacle." For a number of writers and artists, the notion of the "spectacle" invokes a fascinating, but ultimately frightening, form of closure. Indeed, the spectacle has come to be associated with a confining framing or containment of otherness and difference. Among the issues that we will examine in this context: the spectacle in its manifestation as the sideshow or so-called "freak show," a form reworked in the contemporary talk show and "reality-based" television; the spectacle as a political tool for mobilizing mass assent; the woman as spectacle in film; and the body of the condemned in the eighteenth century spectacle of punishment. Among the likely works to be explored: David Lynch's Elephant Man, Tim Burton's Edward Scizzorhands, Agnès Varda's Cleo from 5 to 7; Leni Riefenstahl's Triumph of the Will; critical texts include: Susan Stewart's On Longing, Guy Debord's Society of the Spectacle, Michel Foucault's Discipline and Punish.
FYS ENG: Sublime Intoxication
Charles Baudelaire urges his reader to “always be drunk” in his prose poem, “Get Drunk.” In this Freshman Year Seminar we will focus upon different representations of intoxication in literature. One of the primary questions we will ask is why does the induced fabrication of an experience become important at a particular moment in modernity? What is the relation of intoxication to a "sublime" experience? What happens to human experience in the shift from mercantile to industrialized capital in the era of high colonialism; how does this shift in the modern subject effect a change; and, how is the relation between writer and audience also changed? What causes so many writers not only to “get drunk,” but to write about their experiences, thus sharing their intoxication with their audience? What is the relationship between poetry and prose in the shift from a “sublime” experience to an experience of “intoxication?” How does this literature tell us about the quality of modern life in its own sublimely intoxicating way? Authors will include Socrates, Longinus, Pope, William Wordsworth, Dorothy Wordsworth, Gustave Flaubert, Percy Bysshe Shelley, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Charles Baudelaire, Thomas De Quincey, Walter Benjamin, Ralph Ellison, William Burroughs, Allen Ginsberg, Jack Kerouac, and Sadie Plant, among others.
FYS ENG: Urban Legends and Country Places
In this Freshman Year Seminar we will read and write about representations of the city and the country with an eye towards understanding how space and time are organized differently in each context. We will work on common and generalized notions of urban and country living: alienated and degenerate, on the one hand, versus bucolic and regenerative, on the other. During the course of the semester, we will analyze the different and varied histories of both “city” and “country,” through a focused attention to the texts, and how the meanings of these spaces, so different and yet so connected to each other, change over time. Authors may include Williams, Chaucer, Bocaccio, Augustine, Defoe, Wordsworth, Coleridge, Dickinson, Whitman, Baudelaire, Zola, Joyce, Dickens, Norris, Crane, Benjamin, Weldon Johnson, DeLillo, Kingsolver, Morrison, Ellison, de Certeau, O’Hara, Woolf, Brooks, Bambara, Auster, among many others.
FYW ENG: Veils and Turbans: Whose Modernity is it Anyway?
This seminar explores the philosophical and historical underpinnings of contemporary Western attitudes to certain practices in Eastern cultures. It takes the recent controversies over different kinds of headwear for men and women as a starting point to gain a better understanding of both Western and Eastern forms of modernity as they impinge on various contested notions of selfhood (of both men and women) and community. Insights gained from philosophical, historical and ethnographic and sociological texts will be used to understand the representations of similar themes in certain works of literature.
FYW ENG: Who Speaks Bad English? Language and Ideology
Should English be our official language? What is Black English? Who makes the grammar rules we learn in school—and should those rules be changed? Students will be introduced to basic linguistics and use their knowledge to discuss issues from national language policy to attitudes about “ain’t.”
FYS ENG/REL: Paradise Lost: Milton's Great Heresy?
A close reading of John Milton's seminal epic with attention given to the relationship between literary form and religious meaning. Special attention will be given to the question of Milton's/the epic's religious views and consideration of their orthodoxy and heterodoxy.
FYW HST: Geisha and Samurai: Gender, Orientalism, Japan
Why is Ichiro Suzuki of the Seattle Mariners called "the modern samurai?" Why was the "Memoirs of a Geisha" a bestseller, and why did Madonna want to be a geisha? This course will introduce students to theories of gender and orientalism, focusing on popular views of "geisha" and "samurai" in Japanese history. Using well-known icons for Japanese culture, students will learn how to interpret these gendered stereotypes and critically examine the production of such caricatures though close readings of Japanese primary sources in translation.
FYS HST: The Pursuit of Happiness in America
This First Year Seminar will use autobiographical texts to explore different ways Americans have defined and pursued happiness--over time and across regions and circumstances. The course will be structured chronologically. The texts will include a variety of perspectives: male/female, white, black, Latino, prominent/obscure, rich/poor. As a seminar the course will focus on assigned readings and class discussion/presentations. There will be mid-term and final exams, a reading journal, and two papers of differing lengths.
FYW HST: Sugar and Spice
Imagine your day without sugar and spice. Unsweet cappucino. Cinnamon-free apple pie. An omelet without pepper. This seminar traces the history of common staples, sugar and spices, that became highly desirable items for European dining tables. With a focus on 16th century through 19th century networks that connected Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Caribbean and by using primary and secondary sources, we explore the movement of goods and people that have shaped our social and culinary worlds.
FYW IDC: Liar, Liar, Pants on Fire: The Sport of Cheating
In this course we will examine cheating in society through the lens of the sports world, including the science behind the scandals. Are recent examples of malfeasance exceptions to the rule or indicators that cheating has permeated our culture?
FYW MLL: Copyright, Copywrong: Copyright Law Under Attack
In this freshman seminar, students will first acquire a basic understanding of U.S. copyright law and the fundamental uncertainties that currently surround it. Students will then be invited – through the in-depth, analytical study of a series of readings by classical and contemporary thinkers – to confront both limited and radical critiques of copyright, and to adopt and defend a position of their own in the controversy. Students will engage in several distinct types of writing, including composing a legal brief on a motion for summary judgment, drafting model copyright legislation, and writing both a political speech and an academic or philosophical disquisition articulating a position in the current controversy over copyright.
FYS MLL: Media, Art and Terrorism
This course focuses on two case studies: Red Army Faction (RAF) and 9/11. The RAF was a German Marxist-Leninist group active from the early 70s until 1998, that ‘specialized’ in car bombings targeting politicians, industry leaders, bankers and American army bases. The history of the RAF, both as a terrorist organization and in its mediation, will serve as a framework for approaching 9/11 and terrorism as a key element of contemporary media culture.
FYW PHL: University and Social Justice
Course will examine whether the university has a roll in educating students about what would constitute a more just society and, if so, what might be unique about a university's contribution.
FYW PS: Exploring Politics Through Literature
This course seeks to stimulate intellectual curiosity about the philosophic underpinnings of politics through thoughtful readings of literature. The distinctive (though not exclusive) aim of the course is to prompt reflection about different ways in which the political association can be configured, and the degree to which any given configuration influences the sentiments, characters, beliefs, and imaginations of those who live within them. Drawing upon the vivid power of literature taken from a variety of different cultural contexts, students will have an opportunity to begin an exploration of the influence of politics on human development, especially as it bears on the possibility and limits of human self-understanding. We are likely to read some or all of the following literary works: Sophocles' Antigone, Plato's Apology of Socrates, Shakespeare's Henry V, Robert Bolt's Man for All Seasons, Lessing's Nathan the Wise, Twain's Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court, and Huxley's Brave New World.
FYW PS: Freedom from Oppression: Human Rights in Asia
There are thousands of political prisoners in Asia. Leaders who order their detention contend that “Asian Values” and unique historical circumstances obviate the need to protect rights that many in the West take for granted. This course examines the “Asian Values” debate, the foundations of human rights theory in Western liberal democracies and in Confucianism, and how human rights can best be safeguarded in Asia. It examines the relationship between human rights and democracy.
FYS PSY: Drugs, Sex, and Rocky Road
This course is designed to stimulate conversation and encourage students to discuss and develop opinions about legal and illegal drug use, sex, and eating disorders for the purpose of introducing students to the biological underpinnings of human motivation and behavior.
FYW PSY: Neuroethics
The aim of this course is to explore multi-disciplinary implications of the rapidly advancing field of neuroscience. Students will consider a range of ethical, moral and religious issues associated with neuroscience research including how these studies inform an understanding of autonomous selves, notions of free will and legal and moral responsibility, applications to therapy, personal enhancement and social, economic and political objectives.
FYS REL: Death and Afterlife in Asian Religions
The course looks at conceptions of death and afterlife in a variety of Asian religious contexts. It examines how religious communities (Hindu, Jain, Buddhist, Shinto, and Daoist) conceptualize death and dying, how they ritually manage the process of death, how these implicate values concerning status, gender, and age, and how they re-create worlds of meaning. We explore symbols of death, rebirth, and afterlife from a variety of examples, such as: Hindu rites of passage, Jain, Hindu, and Buddhist asceticism, the veneration of Buddhist Relics, Mahayana pilgrimage traditions in China and Japan, Chinese mummifications, Daoist thaumaturgy and funerary rites, and Japanese Mizuko Kuyo (Memorials for Aborted Fetuses), and Buddhist Eschatology.
FYW REL: God and Darwin
An exploration of the explosion of western thought ignited in 1859 by the publication of Charles Darwin’s On the Origin of Species. This seminar will examine the origins, nature, and consequences of Darwin’s work, using primary sources, as well as film and contemporary accounts. The particular focus of the seminar will be Darwin’s life,
times, and work; larger issues of history and philosophy of science, evolutionary science and theology will be secondary.
FYS REL: Religion and Popular Culture
This course introduces theoretical methods and historical arguments for approaching religious issues in a society where the commercial mass media are pillars of the dominant culture. This course will also examine the representations of religion in popular culture (film, television, literature) and the ways in which religions attempt to transform popular culture.
FYS REL: Sea Dragons and Storm Gods: Hebrew Mythology
This course will examine mythological elements of narrative and poetic texts in the Hebrew Bible. We will focus on how the larger religious and literary contexts of the Bible helps us understand its mythological metaphors and allusions. Texts studied will include Genesis, Psalms, Job, and the Prophets
FYS REL: Vocation, Integrity, and the Ethics of Ambition
Exploration of various dimensions of vocation, drawing primarily but not exclusively from the Christian tradition. Particular attention will be given to conflicts that arise between personal ambition and the need for moral integrity.
FYS SOC: Curses, Cures and Clinics: A Global Health Seminar
This course examines the sociological dimensions of health, illness, and healing in different parts of the world. It focuses on social epidemiology (e.g. HIV/AIDS, TB, malaria), cultural dimensions, and the role of national health care systems and NGO’s in promoting health.
FYS THA: Making a Personal Film
Working in collaborative groups and independently, students will develop materials, skills, content and techniques leading to the making of a finished personal film on DVD.
Dr. Fray asked if there was any discussion. Dr. Brian Segal, Religion, asked what types of intoxication were being studied in FYS ENG: Sublime Intoxication. Dr. Chevalier responded all types but particularly opium. The MOTION PASSED in a voice vote with no dissension.
Dr. Ken Abernethy, Chair, Academic Policies Committee, MOVED that the faculty approve the following courses for CGA credit. Dr. Fray informed the faculty that the APC report which was posted Monday, March 3, 2008 contained several incorrect course descriptions. A corrected version was posted Friday afternoon, March 7, 2008, and that is the report the faculty will consider. As in former meetings, the process for adoption was Consideration by Paragraph.
Recommended for Visual and Performing Arts (within Core: Human Cultures category) credit:
ART 111: Visual Language I
Basic principles and techniques of visual language as it applies to two dimensional design. Emphasis will be placed on line, contrast, value and balance. Must be combined with another 2-hour studio course for VPA credit.
ART 207: Printmaking I
Introduction to screen printing materials and techniques incorporating design, color, drawing and computer software. Problems in composition with emphasis on skills and approaches pertinent to the medium of screen printing. Must be combined with another 2-hour studio course for VPA credit.
ART 236: Baroque and Rococo Art
This course will consider art and architecture of the 17th and early 18th centuries in Western Europe.
ART 250: Modern Art, 1800-1960
This course will consider art and architecture from 1800-1960 in Western Europe and America.
Dr. Fray asked if there was any discussion on courses recommended for Visual and Performing Arts (within Core: Human Cultures category) credit. There was no discussion.
Recommended for Human Behavior (within Core: Empirical Studies category) credit:
PSY 201: Research Methods and Statistics
Introduction to the principles of science, research design, data collection with animals and humans, statistical analysis, and scientific writing. Designed to acquaint students with the scientific methods used to study behavior; covers the fundamental methodological, statistical, and writing skills necessary for most advanced psychology courses. Lab work, computer analysis of data, and written reports of laboratory projects are integral to the course.
Dr. Fray asked if there was any discussion on the course recommended for Human Behavior (within Core: Empirical Studies category) credit. There was no discussion.
Recommended for Global Awareness: Humans and Their Natural Environment credit:
BA 312: The Sustainable Corporation
Exposes students to business applications of sustainable development and corporate strategies based on economic, environmental and social criteria. Demonstrates how the corporate world plays a central role in making progress toward sustainability. Focus on the inter-relatedness of business and natural systems, and how corporations use sustainability as a value driver.
SCI 17: The Living Universe
Major discoveries and controversies in science with emphasis on biology / geology are analyzed with reference to their history, scientific basis, and public perception. Laboratories focus on critical analysis of student generated data.
Dr. Fray asked if there was any discussion on the courses recommended for Global Awareness: Humans and Their Natural Environment credit. There was no discussion.
Recommended for Foreign Language credit:
FYS: French Theater of the Absurd
Through close readings in the original French of a series of plays by Beckett, Ionesco, Genet and Tardieu, students will gain familiarity with the texts as well as an understanding of the historical and philosophical influences which gave rise to absurdist theater. (Bill Allen)
Dr. Fray asked if there was any discussion on the course Recommended for Foreign Language credit. There was no discussion.
Recommended for Empirical Studies: Natural World credit:
SCI 16: Mission to Mars
An interdisciplinary analysis of plans to develop a manned space mission to Mars from a physical science perspective, with a focus on experimentation, historical contributions, and the relationship between science and society.
SCI 17: The Living Universe
Major discoveries and controversies in science with emphasis on biology / geology are analyzed with reference to their history, scientific basis, and public perception. Laboratories focus on critical analysis of student generated data.
Dr. Fray asked if there was any discussion on the courses Recommended for Empirical Studies: Natural World credit. There was no discussion.
Recommended for Global Awareness: World Cultures credit:
ANT 211: Mayan Archaeology
Travel-study course focusing upon the Maya peoples of Mesoamerica. This course will examine what their glyphs, and what household, settlement, and urban archaeology reveal about the history and culture of the ancient Maya.
AS 2??: The Ramayana: Gods, Myths, Moral Dilemmas
In this course we examine various versions (text, film, television, etc.) of the Indian epic Ramayana with the intention of addressing the profound and long lasting influence this narrative has had on the religion, morals, culture, politics, and society of South and Southeast Asia.
AS 2??: Music and Popular Culture in South Asia
This course is an introduction to the greatly diverse popular cultures of South Asia, including music, film, and art. Through listening, selected readings, films, and discussion, we will address issues of religion, gender, politics, ethnic and regional identity, cultural property, globalization, and the effect of mass media on South Asian popular culture.
COM 412: International Women’s Rhetoric
This course analyzes speeches given by women in the international community about their conditions and their circumstances. Students explore the historical, socio-political, and cultural contexts of speeches by women to understand the rhetorical strategies and effects of their messages.
COM 414: Rhetoric of Emerging Democracies
Study of the rhetoric of non-U.S. democratic movements. Focus on nonviolent movements and the rhetorical aspects of mixed violent and nonviolent movements of the twentieth and early twenty-first-century. Primary emphasis is on the speeches and other persuasive appeals by reformers, including the justifications for democratic reform, forms of protest, strategies of dissent, and confluence of democratic, anti-colonial, and nationalist themes. Also includes consideration of the African, Asian, Latin American, Near Eastern, and Eastern European cultural contexts out of which these rhetorical concerns and movements arise.
ENG 434: Postcolonialisms: Theory and Praxis
An introduction to the field of Postcolonial Studies through the study of literary, filmic, and theoretical texts focusing on the historical and ongoing interactions of European and non-European cultures from the perspective of domination, resistance, and the search for alternatives.
FYS: Greece and Japan: Connections and Comparisons
This interdisciplinary seminar will compare Greek and Japanese myths and legends, investigate historical connections that emerge from their myths and legends, and examine how these myths and legends are variously appropriated and utilized in western civilization and in Japanese culture and history. (Chris Blackwell)
FYS: The Origins of Global Poverty
An exploration of the historical origins of the maldistribution of wealth between the "west" and the "rest" in the contemporary world. Contrasting viewpoints are considered and students are encouraged to explore the differing use of evidence to arrive at their own conclusion. (Erik Ching)
FYS: Curses, Cures, and Clinics: A Global Health Seminar
This course examines the sociological dimensions of health, illness, and healing in different parts of the world. It focuses on social epidemiology (e.g. HIV/AIDS, TB, malaria), cultural dimensions, and the role of national health care systems and NGO’s in promoting health. (Kristy Maher)
FYS: Death and Afterlife in Asian Religions
The course looks at conceptions of death and afterlife in a variety of Asian religious contexts. It examines how religious communities (Hindu, Jain, Buddhist, Shinto, and Daoist) conceptualize death and dying, how they ritually manage the process of death, how these implicate values concerning status, gender, and age, and how they re-create worlds of meaning. We explore symbols of death, rebirth, and afterlife from a variety of examples, such as: Hindu rites of passage, Jain, Hindu, and Buddhist asceticism, the veneration of Buddhist Relics, Mahayana pilgrimage traditions in China and Japan, Chinese mummifications, Daoist thaumaturgy and funerary rites, and Japanese Mizuko Kuyo (Memorials for Aborted Fetuses), and Buddhist Eschatology. (Sam Britt)
FYW: Geisha and Samurai: Gender, Orientalism, and Japan.
Why is Ichiro Suzuki of the Seattle Mariners called "the modern samurai?" Why was the "Memoirs of a Geisha" a bestseller, and why did Madonna want to be a geisha? This course will introduce students to theories of gender and orientalism, focusing on popular views of "geisha" and "samurai" in Japanese history. Using well-known icons for Japanese culture, students will learn how to interpret these gendered stereotypes and critically examine the production of such caricatures though close readings of Japanese primary sources in translation.(Izumi Nakayama)
FYW: Sugar and Spice
Imagine your day without sugar and spice. Unsweet cappucino. Cinnamon-free apple pie. An omelet without pepper. This seminar traces the history of common staples, sugar and spices, that became highly desirable items for European dining tables. With a focus on 16th century through 19th century networks that connected Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Caribbean and by using primary and secondary sources, we explore the movement of goods and people that have shaped our social and culinary worlds. (Savita Nair)
FYW: Freedom from Oppression: Human Rights in Asia
There are thousands of political prisoners in Asia. Leaders who order their detention contend that “Asian Values” and unique historical circumstances obviate the need to protect rights that many in the West take for granted. This course examines the “Asian Values” debate, the foundations of human rights theory in Western liberal democracies and in Confucianism, and how human rights can best be safeguarded in Asia. It examines the relationship between human rights and democracy.
HST 141: Colonial Latin America
Survey of the Spanish and Portuguese Empires in the western hemisphere, from the first explorations and settlements until the achievement of independence in the 1820s. The course includes coverage of political and religious institutions and social issues such as race relations and piracy.
HST 142: Modern Latin America
Survey of Latin America since the nineteenth century. Topics include, but are not limited to nationalism, military authoritarianism, social revolution and the wealth inequities that have defined the region as part of the developing world. Case studies will often be used to highlight continental trends.
HST 145: History of Africa
Survey of Africa from earliest times to the present. Topics include, but not limited to: the peopling of the continent, the development of precolonial politics, cultures and economic systems; the African Diaspora; European colonialism; and post-colonialism.
HST 155: Ancient and Early South Asia
An introduction to South Asia from prehistory to the early 16th century. Focus on the transformations of human environments in the Indian subcontinent, such as river-valley settlements, urban development, early state formation, long-distance trade, and mobility. Major themes include: 1) interaction and integration, and 2) diversity of ritual and cultural practices.
HST 156: Modern South Asia
Traces the history of South Asia from the 16th century to present. Focus on Mughal dynasties and Indo-Islamic cultures, European traders and the British imperial projects, multiple resistors to imperial rule, and the creation of and challenges facing postcolonial South Asia.
HST 160: Ancient and Early Japan
Survey of Japan from its prehistoric origins to the early 17th century. Topics include, but not limited to: archaeology and history, origins of "Japan," the emergence of the imperial state, court rulership, and the rise of the samurai.
HST 161: Modern Japan
Survey of Japan from the 16th century to the present. Topics include, but not limited to: Tokugawa societies and cultures, economic systems, Imperial Japan and world wars, global interactions, modernity and modernization, and contemporary Japanese issue.
HST 165: Ancient and Early China
Surveys the history of Chinese civilization from its origins to 1600. Topics may include: ideals of cultural unity and division, classical philosophy, religious beliefs and practices, formation of imperial institutions, economic and intellectual revolutions, conflict and accomodation with neighboring peoples, and epic transformations of state and society.
HST 166: Modern China
China in the modern world: will examine major political, social and cultural transformations of the period from the late Qing dynasty to recent dramatic reforms in mainland China and on Taiwan.
HST 351: Travel Study in Africa
Investigation of key events, movements and individuals in a particular region of Africa. Specific topics and periods to be determined by the instructor in conjunction with the Africa study abroad program.
HST 152: Travel Study in Latin America
Investigation of key events, movements and individuals in one or more regions of Latin America. Specific topics and periods determined by the instructor in conjunction with the Latin America study abroad program.
REL 226: Native American Religions
This course considers both the diversity and common themes in Native American religion through the study of selected tribal groups. Central are the ways in which these traditions contribute to our understanding of myth, ritual, the creation of religious worldviews, and even our definition of religion.
REL 95B: Islam: Empire, Ideology and Religion
This travel study course will explore the origins of Islam, as well as the political spread of the Muslim Empire from the 7th - 16th century. A particular emphasis will be placed on the role of Constantinople in early Muslim political discourse, as well as the conquest of 1453 CE and the subsequent refashioning of Constantinople into the pearl of the Ottoman empire. Note: As a travel study course, this is approved as a one-time exception to the usual rule of no CGA credits for 95 courses.
Dr. Fray asked if there was discussion on the courses Recommended for Global Awareness: World Cultures credit. Dr. David Rutledge, Religion, asked if any of the courses were affected by the policies we have yet to approve. Dr. Abernethy responded no.
Recommended for Analysis of Texts (within Core: Human Cultures category) credit:
COM 301: Rhetorical Criticism
Survey of the major methods of rhetorical criticism, including neo-Aristotelianism, dramatism, social movement rhetoric, close textual analysis, and others. Students study the theoretical underpinnings of these methods, examine the nature of rhetorical texts, analyze scholarly essays that employ these methods, and write and present essays based on their own critical analysis of rhetorical texts.
COM 311: Rhetoric in the Ancient World
Study of the history of rhetorical theory and practice from 500 BCE to 500 AD. Primary focus on Greek and Roman rhetoric's relation to politics, law, religion, philosophy, liberal education and culture along with an examination of ancient rhetoric's influence on medieval rhetoric. Readings include selections from the sophists, Isocrates, Plato, Aristotle, Cicero, Quintilian, Tacitus, and Augustine.
COM 312: Rhetoric in the Modern World
Study of the history of rhetorical theory and practice from the Renaissance to the present. Primary focus on the European tradition with special attention given to rhetoric’s relation to liberal education, politics, law, ethics, religion, myth, and ritual. Readings are from primary texts in the rhetorical tradition and may include selections from Petrarch, Salutati, Valla, Bracciolini, Cavalcanti, Ramus, Erasmus, Bacon, Hobbes, Lamy, Fenelon, Mackenzie, Locke, Vico, Monboddo, Blair, Campbell, Whately, Theremin, Nietzsche, Richards, Weaver, Burke, Perelman, Toulmin, Foucault, Habermas, and others.
COM 315: U.S. Public Address, 1630-1865
History and criticism of major U.S. speeches and rhetorical texts. Examination of a broad range of historical and rhetorical factors that influenced the construction and reception of speeches from the colonial period through the end of the Civil War. Focus on the political, religious, legal, and social exigencies to which the speeches responded, as well as the place of these rhetorical texts in U.S. public controversies.
COM 316: U.S. Public Address, 1866 – Present
History and criticism of major U.S. speeches and rhetorical texts. Examination of a broad range of historical and rhetorical factors that influenced the construction and reception of speeches from the end of the Civil War to the present. Focus on the political, religious, legal, and social exigencies to which the speeches responded, as well as the place of these rhetorical texts in U.S. public controversies.
COM 411: African-American Rhetoric
Study of the persuasive efforts, primarily oratorical, by African Americans attempting to gain freedom, establish citizenship, and acquire equal rights. Emphasis on the discursive and nondiscursive rhetorical strategies of black identity, power, and community. Consideration of the rhetorical construction of ideologies of struggle, the external and internal debates characteristic of black social movements, and the rhetorical cultivation of black consciousness.
ENG 250: Interpretative Strategies
This foundational course will address issues and questions specific to literary and cultural analysis and in the process will explore various interpretive strategies through which ideas of “the literary” and of “literary study” are engaged. The content and perspective of this course will vary according to instructor. Some questions may include: How do we determine the literariness of a text? What is the difference between a “work” and a “text”? How can we talk meaningfully about authorial intention? How do history, culture, politics, “race,” gender, social class, and sexuality, generate meaning in a text? Students will read primary theoretical texts, and will write about how theories of literature might inform ways of reading prose, poetry, drama, and/or film. By the end of the term, students should have a sense of how over the years critical debate has shaped the many practices of reading literature.
FYS: Sublime Intoxication
Charles Baudelaire urges his reader to “always be drunk” in his prose poem, “Get Drunk.” In this Freshman Year Seminar we will focus upon different representations of intoxication in literature. One of the primary questions we will ask is why does the induced fabrication of an experience become important at a particular moment in modernity? What is the relation of intoxication to a "sublime" experience? What happens to human experience in the shift from mercantile to industrialized capital in the era of high colonialism; how does this shift in the modern subject effect a change; and, how is the relation between writer and audience also changed? What causes so many writers not only to “get drunk,” but to write about their experiences, thus sharing their intoxication with their audience? What is the relationship between poetry and prose in the shift from a “sublime” experience to an experience of “intoxication?” How does this literature tell us about the quality of modern life in its own sublimely intoxicating way? Authors will include Socrates, Longinus, Pope, William Wordsworth, Dorothy Wordsworth, Gustave Flaubert, Percy Bysshe Shelley, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Charles Baudelaire, Thomas De Quincey, Walter Benjamin, Ralph Ellison, William Burroughs, Allen Ginsberg, Jack Kerouac, and Sadie Plant, among others. (Victoria Chevalier)
FYS: Making Character: The Bildungsroman
This course introduces students to the Bildungsroman through key eighteenth- and nineteenth-century texts such as Rousseau's Emile, Goethe's Wilhelm Meister, Fielding's Tom Jones, Bronte's Jane Eyre, and Dickens's David Copperfield, as well as twentieth-century appropriations and transformations of the genre: Joyce's A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, Woolf's Jacob's Room, Swift's Waterland. The aim of the course is to investigate narrative and stylistic techniques of characterization in the Bildungsroman--to examine how character is "built" and subjects constructed in/through language--and so pursue more general questions about language and literature, representation and identity, knowledge and education. Excursions into poetry are also possible: Wordsworth's Prelude, Whitman's Leaves of Grass, Tennyson's In Memoriam. (Srdjan Smajic)
FYS: Spectacular Imaginings
"Spectacular Imaginings" will explore films and critical texts that offer varying representations of the "spectacle." For a number of writers and artists, the notion of the "spectacle" invokes a fascinating, but ultimately frightening, form of closure. Indeed, the spectacle has come to be associated with a confining framing or containment of otherness and difference. Among the issues that we will examine in this context: the spectacle in its manifestation as the sideshow or so-called "freak show," a form reworked in the contemporary talk show and "reality-based" television; the spectacle as a political tool for mobilizing mass assent; the woman as spectacle in film; and the body of the condemned in the eighteenth century spectacle of punishment. Among the likely works to be explored: David Lynch's Elephant Man, Tim Burton's Edward Scizzorhands, Agnès Varda's Cleo from 5 to 7; Leni Riefenstahl's Triumph of the Will; critical texts include: Susan Stewart's On Longing, Guy Debord's Society of the Spectacle, Michel Foucault's Discipline and Punish. (Vince Hausmann)
FYS: Urban Legends and Country Places
In this Freshman Year Seminar we will read and write about representations of the city and the country with an eye towards understanding how space and time are organized differently in each context. We will work on common and generalized notions of urban and country living: alienated and degenerate, on the one hand, versus bucolic and regenerative, on the other. During the course of the semester, we will analyze the different and varied histories of both “city” and “country,” through a focused attention to the texts, and how the meanings of these spaces, so different and yet so connected to each other, change over time. Authors may include Williams, Chaucer, Bocaccio, Augustine, Defoe, Wordsworth, Coleridge, Dickinson, Whitman, Baudelaire, Zola, Joyce, Dickens, Norris, Crane, Benjamin, Weldon Johnson, DeLillo, Kingsolver, Morrison, Ellison, de Certeau, O’Hara, Woolf, Brooks, Bambara, Auster, among many others. (Victoria Chevalier)
FYS: Politics of Religion in German Literature in English Translation
Course examines political impact of religion and its institutions on social fabric of German life at critical points in its historical development (1210, 1525, 1648, 1914, 1933, 1948, 1995) through readings and discussions of significant German authors (in trans.). (Norman Whisnant)
FYS: American Gothic: Innocent Visions to Nightmares
This course examines the adaptation of the English Gothic tradition to American landscapes and culture. The literary texts studied will explore the horror that emanates from confronting the American wilderness, the savagery beneath a civilized veneer, the physical and psychological abuses of slavery, the loss of childhood innocence, societal constraints upon women, and the pain of dysfunctional families. (Lynne Shackelford)
FYS: Murder, Mystery, and Mayhem
A study of modern and contemporary murder mystery/detective narrative fiction. The course gives special attention to questions about the construction of stories/narratives and how that involves interpretations of the meaning of human experience. (Claude Stulting)
FYS: Social Indictment: An American Tradition
Students will study major works of film and literature within the tradition of social protest that emerged in twentieth-century America. (Nick Radel)
FYW: Copyright, Copywrong: Copyright Law Under Attack
In this freshman seminar, students will first acquire a basic understanding of U.S. copyright law and the fundamental uncertainties that currently surround it. Students will then be invited – through the in-depth, analytical study of a series of readings by classical and contemporary thinkers – to confront both limited and radical critiques of copyright, and to adopt and defend a position of their own in the controversy. Students will engage in several distinct types of writing, including composing a legal brief on a motion for summary judgment, drafting model copyright legislation, and writing both a political speech and an academic or philosophical disquisition articulating a position in the current controversy over copyright. (David Morgan)
FYW: Beauty and Its Discontents
This course examines the ways in which beauty has been philosophically theorized, culturally constructed, and artistically represented from the mid-eighteenth century to the present postmodern moment. Among other issues and problems, we shall consider the vexed relationship between beauty, sexuality, and gender; the links between perception, power, and possession; the dismissal/denigration of beauty in modern art and the "return to beauty" in the 1990s and after. The aim of the course is not naive, uncritical "beauty appreciation" but rather the constructive problematization of the discourse on beauty as a nexus of political, ideological, and aesthetic programs. (Srdjan Smajic)
FYW: Exploring Politics through Literature
This course seeks to stimulate intellectual curiosity about the philosophic underpinnings of politics through thoughtful readings of literature. The distinctive (though not exclusive) aim of the course is to prompt reflection about different ways in which the political association can be configured, and the degree to which any given configuration influences the sentiments, characters, beliefs, and imaginations of those who live within them. Drawing upon the vivid power of literature taken from a variety of different cultural contexts, students will have an opportunity to begin an exploration of the influence of politics on human development, especially as it bears on the possibility and limits of human self-understanding. We are likely to read some or all of the following literary works: Sophocles' Antigone, Plato's Apology of Socrates, Shakespeare's Henry V, Robert Bolt's Man for All Seasons, Lessing's Nathan the Wise, Twain's Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court, and Huxley's Brave New World. (Ty Tessitore)
FYW: Haunted Mansions
This course explores how the interior and exterior settings of a selection of Gothic novels, short stories, and films reflect the lives and complex psyches of the characters. Students will learn about such psychological disorders as dissociative identity disorder, post-partum depression, and schizophrenia and will discuss how family relationships and cultural pressures adversely affect the characters studied. (Lynne Shackelford)
FYW: Bodies, Souls, Machines
This course will investigate literary, filmic, and other representations of two interrelated impulses in modernity and postmodernity: the mechanization and (tentatively speaking) dehumanization of the human subject, and the anthropomorphization of the machine. While the obvious loci of intersection here are humanoid automata, androids, and cyborgs, we shall also consider the ways in which the human body is systemically routinized and mechanized (treated in terms of productivity, efficiency, time management, and so on) in industrial and capitalist society, and how machines are anthropomorphized well before the invention of computers and robots. (Srdjan Smajic)
FYW: Iconic Events: Easter 1916
The course will explore the cultural and literary significance of the Easter uprising in Ireland in 1916. The uprising and its consequences occasioned a considerable amount of writing in its immediate aftermath by well-known writers like Sean O'Casey and W. B. Yeats, and later by Iris Murdoch, Conor Cruise O'Brien, and others. The course will explore how "news," history, ideology, and critique are implicated not only in response to the events but in the planning (by Patrick Pearse and others) and execution of the uprising itself. (Stan Crowe)
FYW: Language, Argument, and Culture
A study of classical and modern principles of rhetoric and argument applied to contemporary linguistic issues such as information technology, multilingualism, language and gender, language and national identities, and the globalization of English. (Claude Stulting)
FYW: “I’ll Be Watching You” Surveillance Thrillers
This course considers the unsettling complications that arise for people who are watching or being watched. Discussions and writing assignments will focus on books and films portraying surveillance. (Bill Aarnes)
FYW: Issues in Shakespearean Drama
This course will engage various issues in the drama of Shakespeare. Rather than focus on genre or major v. minor plays, it will be fashioned around a particular group of ideas or topics that are relevant to understanding Shakespeare's plays and what it means to read them. (Nick Radel)
FYW: The History of Detective Fiction
The course traces detective fiction from 18th century gothic novels to Sherlock Holmes, British cozies, and American crime noir. Relationships to horror and science fiction are also explored. Focus includes creating a logical argument, using textual evidence, and writing mechanics. (Margaret Oakes)
FYW: The American Dream: The Ideal and the Reality
An exploration of the concept of America as a place of political and religious freedom, social and economic mobility, and opportunities to achieve personal fulfillment. Students will analyze both literary texts and contemporary culture. (Lynne Shackelford)
FYW: Representing the Holocaust
This course will critically examine the ways in which the Holocaust has been remembered in a variety of texts: history, documentary, photography, witness testimony, comic book, fiction, film, poetry, visual art, and memorial. (Jane Chew)
FYW: Engaging Nature
From earliest times, writers of literature have been interested in aspects of human experience that have involved forces that seem to be beyond human control. In this course, we will read and write about texts in which these forces are associated with “Nature.” The texts, all written within the last forty years, will provide the focus of class discussion, and there will be a written assignment required on each text. The aim of the course is to improve your writing and thinking by encouraging you to construct persuasive arguments using a variety of organizational techniques. A good deal of time will be spent, both in small group meetings and in individual conferences, on problems of writing, from matters of punctuation and sentence structure to the organization of paragraphs and whole essays. We will focus particularly on problems that arise from your own writing -- i.e. I am not interested in trying to teach the “rules” of grammar and writing as an abstract exercise apart from your own practice. (Stan Crowe)
FYW: Stories: Narrative Theory and Craft
Recent psychological research suggests that human beings are hard-wired for narrative: we remember our pasts, structure our beliefs, and dream in stories. This seminar links literary study and creative writing: the texts include anthologies of short fiction and creative nonfiction, essays on narrative theory, and handbooks for creative and academic writing. Students may choose to research the narrative structures of literary or popular fiction, fairy tales, family histories, religious texts, scientific writing, film, journalism, or Internet sites. Major writing assignments (20-25 pages in total) include a research paper, an argumentative essay, and a portfolio of short fiction and nonfiction. Time will be allotted for information fluency and library research instruction, peer critiques, oral presentations, and individual conferences. (Robin Visel)
Dr. Fray asked if there was any discussion on the courses Recommended for Analysis of Texts (within Core: Human Cultures category) credit. There was no discussion
Recommended for Core: Human Cultures: Historical Analysis credit:
ANT 211: Mayan Archaeology
Travel-study course focusing upon the Maya peoples of Mesoamerica. This course will examine what their glyphs, and what household, settlement, and urban archaeology reveal about the history and culture of the ancient Maya.
CL 211: Classical Archeology
Illustrated lecture survey of the principal archaeological sites in ancient Greece and Italy. Study of the material culture, monumental remains, and the developing styles in art, architecture, and city planning. Introduction to the goals, methodologies, and achievements of archaeological excavation.
COM 331: Media History
This course examines the changing nature, structure, and function of mass media institutions in the United States and their historical relationships to society and culture from the founding of the republic to the end of the 20th century.
FR ___: History of France
This course will present a chronological survey of the history of France from approximately 1000 to the present. Topics will include but not be limited to history, geography, politics, and the arts.
FYS: Furman University in the World
Examination of various aspects of American social, intellectual, and religious history with a specific focus on Furman University within that context. Students will develop understanding of the impact of important national and international events on Furman, and Furman's contributions to such events. (Courtney Tollison)
FYS: Marie Antoinette: Bad Queen or Bad press?
This course will critically examine the ways in which Marie Antoinette has been portrayed through time in a variety of media: biographies, memoirs, films, portraits, sketches, Revolutionary pamphlets and correspondence. (Pat Pecoy)
FYS: The Origins of Global Poverty
An exploration of the historical origins of the maldistribution of wealth between the "west" and the "rest" in the contemporary world. Contrasting viewpoints are considered and students are encouraged to explore the differing use of evidence to arrive at their own conclusion. (Erik Ching)
FYS: Critical Identities Studies
This course explores new theoretical concepts of identity that offer solutions to social change by critically examining the ways race, sexuality, and/or gender, among others identity categories, organize cultural, political, and social institutions. Students will read from Critical Race Theory, Queer Theory, Masculinity Studies, and Feminist Race Theory among others. (Nick Radel)
FYW: Sugar and Spice
Imagine your day without sugar and spice. Unsweet cappucino. Cinnamon-free apple pie. An omelet without pepper. This seminar traces the history of common staples, sugar and spices, that became highly desirable items for European dining tables. With a focus on 16th century through 19th century networks that connected Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Caribbean and by using primary and secondary sources, we explore the movement of goods and people that have shaped our social and culinary worlds. (Savita Nair)
FYW: The U.S. Civil War through the Lens of Biography
This seminar will examine the Civil War era using the perspective of biography. In addition to considering biographical interpretations of leaders such as Robert E. Lee, Abraham Lincoln, and Frederick Douglass we will consider memoirs of ordinary participants and approaches such as collective biography. Students will, with guidance from the instructor, have an opportunity to research and write their own biographical interpretations of individuals from the period. (Lloyd Benson)
FYW: Doing History in the 1950s
The purpose of this seminar is, first, to explore changing tastes in the field of history by comparing what was written in the previous generation to what is being written today, and second, to examine the Landmark Series, published in 185 volumes by Random House in New York City in the 1950s and early ‘60s. Students will read on topics, mostly of their choice, comparing books written in the U.S. in mid-century to the best of current scholarship on those same topics. (David Spear)
FYW: Homer and History
Follow the history of Homer's great war-poem, the Iliad, from the Bronze Age and the invention of writing, through the tyranny and democracy of Athens, the library of Alexandria, to its rescue from the ruins of Constantinople in the 1400s. (Chris Blackwell)
FYW: The Tumultuous Twenties
This seminar will examine the political, social, and cultural history of the United States in the 1920s. During this crucial decade the values of urban America clashed with the traditions of rural America as the culture of the Jazz Age redefined American morals. Nativism, Anglo-Saxon racism, militant Protestantism and Prohibition characterized the reaction to a rapidly changing society. (Diane Vecchio)
FYW: Geisha and Samurai: Gender, Orientalism, and Japan
Why is Ichiro Suzuki of the Seattle Mariners called "the modern samurai?" Why was the "Memoirs of a Geisha" a bestseller, and why did Madonna want to be a geisha? This course will introduce students to theories of gender and orientalism, focusing on popular views of "geisha" and "samurai" in Japanese history. Using well-known icons for Japanese culture, students will learn how to interpret these gendered stereotypes and critically examine the production of such caricatures though close readings of Japanese primary sources in translation.(Izumi Nakayama)
FYW: Can We Make Sense of the Sixties
This seminar will explore the United States in the 1960’s and early 1970’s and the conflicting political, social, racial, economic, and international forces that shaped American life at that time. Special emphasis will be placed on the civil rights crusade, the rise of the protest tradition, the growth of presidential power, and the emergence of international crises such as the Cuban Missile Crisis and the Vietnam War. (Marian Strobel)
FYW: Southern Women: Black and White
This seminar will explore the experiences of Southern Women from 1800 to the present through the literature written by and about them. The method of study will include: describing the culturally defined image of Southern women, tracing the effect of this definition on female behavior, defining how the realities of Southern women’s lives were often at odds with the ideal, and examining the struggle of black and white women to confront racism and cultural expectations and and to find a way to achieve self-determination. (Marian Strobel)
HST 101: Ancient Europe and the Mediterranean
Survey of the Ancient Near East, Greece, and Rome to c. 500 C.E. Coverage of social, intellectual, political, cultural, and religious developments.
HST 102: Medieval Europe, c. 500 – c. 1450
Examination of European social, intellectual, political, cultural, and religious developments from the break up of the Roman Empire (c.500) to the Renaissance (c.1450).
HST 141: Colonial Latin America
Survey of the Spanish and Portuguese Empires in the western hemisphere, from the first explorations and settlements until the achievement of independence in the 1820s. The course includes coverage of political and religious institutions and social issues such as race relations and piracy.
HST 142: Modern Latin America
Survey of Latin America since the nineteenth century. Topics include, but are not limited to nationalism, military authoritarianism, social revolution and the wealth inequities that have defined the region as part of the developing world. Case studies will often be used to highlight continental trends.
HST 145: History of Africa
Survey of Africa from earliest times to the present. Topics include, but not limited to: the peopling of the continent, the development of precolonial politics, cultures and economic systems; the African Diaspora; European colonialism; and post-colonialism.
HST 155: Ancient and Early South Asia
An introduction to South Asia from prehistory to the early 16th century. Focus on the transformations of human environments in the Indian subcontinent, such as river-valley settlements, urban development, early state formation, long-distance trade, and mobility. Major themes include: 1) interaction and integration, and 2) diversity of ritual and cultural practices.
HST 156: Modern South Asia
Traces the history of South Asia from the 16th century to present. Focus on Mughal dynasties and Indo-Islamic cultures, European traders and the British imperial projects, multiple resistors to imperial rule, and the creation of and challenges facing postcolonial South Asia.
HST 160: Ancient and Early Japan
Survey of Japan from its prehistoric origins to the early 17th century. Topics include, but not limited to: archaeology and history, origins of "Japan," the emergence of the imperial state, court rulership, and the rise of the samurai.
HST 161: Modern Japan
Survey of Japan from the 16th century to the present. Topics include, but not limited to: Tokugawa societies and cultures, economic systems, Imperial Japan and world wars, global interactions, modernity and modernization, and contemporary Japanese issue.
HST 165: Ancient and Early China. Surveys the history of Chinese civilization from its origins to 1600. Topics may include: ideals of cultural unity and division, classical philosophy, religious beliefs and practices, formation of imperial institutions, economic and intellectual revolutions, conflict and accomodation with neighboring peoples, and epic transformations of state and society.
HST 166: Modern China
China in the modern world: will examine major political, social and cultural transformations of the period from the late Qing dynasty to recent dramatic reforms in mainland China and on Taiwan.
HST 351: Travel Study in Africa
Investigation of key events, movements and individuals in a particular region of Africa. Specific topics and periods to be determined by the instructor in conjunction with the Africa study abroad program.
HST 352: Travel Study in Latin America
Investigation of key events, movements and individuals in one or more regions of Latin America. Specific topics and periods determined by the instructor in conjunction with the Latin America study abroad program.
HST 359: Travel Study in the UK and Ireland
Investigation of key events, movements and individuals in the United Kingdom and Ireland. Specific topics and periods to be determined by the instructor in conjunction with the United Kingdom and Ireland study abroad program.
REL 251: Religion in America
Historical survey of belief systems and practices of the religions and civil religion of Americans and the relationship of these to American culture. Emphasis on principal denominations and movements within and growing out of Judaism and Christianity. Native American religions, the American form of selected other religions, new religious movements studied briefly.
Dr. Fray asked if there was any discussion on the courses Recommended for Core: Human Cultures: Historical Analysis credit.
Dr. John Barrington, History, MOVED that the course FYS Critical Identity Studies be removed from the list of courses to be approved for Human Cultures: Historical Analysis credit. The motion was seconded. Dr. Barrington explained that there does not seem to be much history to the course, no guided historical instruction, no historical text, and no historical theory is taught in the course. The history in the course seems incidental with no historiographical context; and the students are not invited to learn the variety of ways to approach a topic. Dr. Barrington added that the empirical methods used by historians are not in the course and considered irrelevant.
Dr. Victoria Chevalier, English, responded that the course does not seem very different than a course Dr. Lloyd Benson in History is offering.
Dr. Barrington pointed out that Dr. Chevalier’s comments referred to an incorrect description of Dr. Benson’s course. The description she was referring to was not a description of Dr. Benson’s course but a description of Dr. Radel’s course. This mistake was corrected in later versions of the course listing.
Dr. Abernethy stated that the APC committee was persuaded by Dr. Nick Radel’s, English, statements in his response to APC’s questions about the course. He then read aloud Dr. Radel’s answers to the questions concerning methods used in the course and how an historical content is present throughout the course.
Dr. Marian Strobel, History, stated that the course is lacking historical context. Dr. Radel does not refer to major historical sources and writers. Dr. Strobel stated that for students to be able to critique historical methods they must know them first. Due to this lack of basic information, Dr. Strobel does not think this course should be one where students earn Historical Analysis credit.
Dr. Stan Crowe, English, responded that while he understood Dr. Strobel’s viewpoint, Dr. Radel is interested in having the students think about theoretical constructions. Knowing how Dr. Radel teaches literature of the past, Dr. Crowe is confident Dr. Radel will tell the students what they need to know and will contextualize the course. Dr. Crowe added that this is not an old fashioned history and we do not need to wait until graduate school to critique history.
Dr. David Rutledge, Religion, while understanding Dr. Crowe’s point, recommended that the motion be passed. Dr. Rutledge commented that Dr. Radel approached history and theory as separate categories and implied that this is a highly held point of view. Dr. Rutledge questioned that if history is not a real category in the class, why get credit for historical analysis.
Dr. Barrington stated that he believes Dr. Radel is very good with contextual analysis. However, a course that is in the historical analysis category needs to address the historical literature, if only to refute it.
Dr. Chevalier said that the identity for this class is empirical. She questioned why an English professor cannot teach history, while all faculty can teach literature.
Dr. Barrington responded that he is not implying that everyone can teach literature, but the categories are quite distinct.
Dr. Shelley Matthews, Religion, stated she is against the amendment. Dr. Radel satisfied the APC. She further commented that the overarching goal of the APC is to stretch the boundaries. She has seen evidence of this in questions which do not resemble religion being approved for the Ultimate Questions category.
After an inconclusive a voice vote, a standing vote was taken. The AMENDMENT WAS PASSED, 76 for and 40 against. The course FYS Critical Identity Studies was removed from the list of courses recommended for Core: Human Cultures: Historical Analysis credit.
Recommended for Core: Ultimate Questions credit:
AS 2??: The Ramayana: Gods, Myths, Moral Dilemmas
In this course we examine various versions (text, film, television, etc.) of the Indian epic Ramayana with the intention of addressing the profound and long lasting influence this narrative has had on the religion, morals, culture, politics, and society of South and Southeast Asia.
FYS: The Pursuit of Happiness in America
This First Year Seminar will use autobiographical texts to explore different ways Americans have defined and pursued happiness--over time and across regions and circumstances. The course will be structured chronologically. The texts will include a variety of perspectives: male/female, white, black, Latino, prominent/obscure, rich/poor. As a seminar the course will focus on assigned readings and class discussion/presentations. There will be mid-term and final exams, a reading journal, and two papers of differing lengths. (David Shi)
FYS: Paradise Lost: Milton’s Great Heresy?
A close reading of John Milton's seminal epic with attention given to the relationship between literary form and religious meaning. Special attention will be given to the question of Milton's/the epic's religious views and consideration of their orthodoxy and heterodoxy. (Claude Stulting)
FYS: Go to Hell: Exclusion and Damnation
This seminar will explore the theologies of exclusion among the Abrahamic religious traditions. Focusing on theological voices within Jewish, Christian, and Muslim tradition, this seminar seeks to study the language and constructedness of exclusion and damnation. (Alfons Teipen)
FYS: Death and Afterlife in Asian Religions
The course looks at conceptions of death and afterlife in a variety of Asian religious contexts. It examines how religious communities (Hindu, Jain, Buddhist, Shinto, and Daoist) conceptualize death and dying, how they ritually manage the process of death, how these implicate values concerning status, gender, and age, and how they re-create worlds of meaning. We explore symbols of death, rebirth, and afterlife from a variety of examples, such as: Hindu rites of passage, Jain, Hindu, and Buddhist asceticism, the veneration of Buddhist Relics, Mahayana pilgrimage traditions in China and Japan, Chinese mummifications, Daoist thaumaturgy and funerary rites, and Japanese Mizuko Kuyo (Memorials for Aborted Fetuses), and Buddhist Eschatology. (Sam Britt)
FYS: Sea Dragons and Storm Gods: Hebrew Mythology
This course will examine mythological elements of narrative and poetic texts in the Hebrew Bible. We will focus on how the larger religious and literary contexts of the Bible helps us understand its mythological metaphors and allusions. Texts studied will include Genesis, Psalms, Job, and the Prophets. (Bryan Bibb)
FYW: The University and Social Justice
Course will examine whether the university has a roll in educating students about what would constitute a more just society and, if so, what might be unique about a university's contribution. (David Gandolfo)
FYW: Neuroethics
The aim of this course is to explore multi-disciplinary implications of the rapidly advancing field of neuroscience. Students will consider a range of ethical, moral and religious issues associated with neuroscience research including how these studies inform an understanding of autonomous selves, notions of free will and legal and moral responsibility, applications to therapy, personal enhancement and social, economic and political objectives. (Judy Grisel)
FYW: God and Darwin
An exploration of the explosion of western thought ignited in 1859 by the publication of Charles Darwin’s On the Origin of Species. This seminar will examine the origins, nature, and consequences of Darwin’s work, using primary sources, as well as film and contemporary accounts. The particular focus of the seminar will be Darwin’s life, times, and work; larger issues of history and philosophy of science, evolutionary science and theology will be secondary. (David Rutledge)
FYW: Martyr Tales
This course will focus on early Christian and Jewish martyrdom narratives, with some attention to martyrdom in contemporary discourse. We will analyze primary texts, noting their literary structure, and raising questions concerning the relationship of these literary texts to historical reality. We will raise questions about the religious motivations for writing these texts; as well as the religious motivations that prompt people to sacrifice their lives. We will also probe the question/problem of the relationship of violence to the sacred. (Shelly Matthews)
REL 226: Native American Religions
This course considers both the diversity and common themes in Native American religion through the study of selected tribal groups. Central are the ways in which these traditions contribute to our understanding of myth, ritual, the creation of religious worldviews, and even our definition of religion.
Dr. Fray asked if there was any discussion on courses recommended for Core: Ultimate Questions credit. There was no discussion.
Dr. Fray asked if there was any discussion on the report in its entirety. There was no discussion.
The MOTION PASSED as amended in a voice vote.
Dr. Abernethy MOVED that the following courses be approved for Concentration credit. Dr. Fray informed the faculty that we would use Consideration by Paragraph for these courses.
Recommended for Ancient Greek and Roman Concentration credit:
ART 230: Arts of Ancient World I
Survey of the art and architecture of ancient Egypt from the Predynastic Period through the New Kingdom, of the Minoan and Cycladic cultures, of ancient Mesopotamia, and of ancient Greece from the Mycenaean era through the Hellenistic era.
CL 211: Classical Archeology
Illustrated lecture survey of the principal archaeological sites in ancient Greece and Italy. Study of the material culture, monumental remains, and the developing styles in art, architecture, and city planning. Introduction to the goals, methodologies, and achievements of archaeological excavation.
COM 311: Rhetoric in the Ancient World
Study of the history of rhetorical theory and practice from 500 BCE to 500 AD. Primary focus on Greek and Roman rhetoric's relation to politics, law, religion, philosophy, liberal education and culture along with an examination of ancient rhetoric's influence on medieval rhetoric. Readings include selections from the sophists, Isocrates, Plato, Aristotle, Cicero, Quintilian, Tacitus, and Augustine.
FYS: Greece and Japan: Connections and Comparisons
This interdisciplinary seminar will compare Greek and Japanese myths and legends, investigate historical connections that emerge from their myths and legends, and examine how these myths and legends are variously appropriated and utilized in western civilization and in Japanese culture and history. (Chris Blackwell)
FYW: Homer and History
Follow the history of Homer's great war-poem, the Iliad, from the Bronze Age and the invention of writing, through the tyranny and democracy of Athens, the library of Alexandria, to its rescue from the ruins of Constantinople in the 1400s. (Chris Blackwell)
HST 101: Ancient Europe and the Mediterranean
Survey of the Ancient Near East, Greece, and Rome to c. 500 C.E. Coverage of social, intellectual, political, cultural, and religious developments.
Dr. Fray asked if there was any discussion on the courses recommended for Ancient Greek and Roman Concentration credit. Dr. Horney asked about the lag time for approval. Dr. Abernethy said there was no lag time but her course may have been accidentally omitted.
Recommended for Women and Gender Studies Concentration credit:
COM 412: International Women’s Rhetoric
This course analyzes speeches given by women in the international community about their conditions and their circumstances. Students explore the historical, socio-political, and cultural contexts of speeches by women to understand the rhetorical strategies and effects of their messages.
FYS: Critical Identities Studies
This course explores new theoretical concepts of identity that offer solutions to social change by critically examining the ways race, sexuality, and/or gender, among others identity categories, organize cultural, political, and social institutions. Students will read from Critical Race Theory, Queer Theory, Masculinity Studies, and Feminist Race Theory among others. (Nick Radel)
FYW: Geisha and Samurai: Gender, Orientalism, and Japan
Why is Ichiro Suzuki of the Seattle Mariners called "the modern samurai?" Why was the "Memoirs of a Geisha" a bestseller, and why did Madonna want to be a geisha? This course will introduce students to theories of gender and orientalism, focusing on popular views of "geisha" and "samurai" in Japanese history. Using well-known icons for Japanese culture, students will learn how to interpret these gendered stereotypes and critically examine the production of such caricatures though close readings of Japanese primary sources in translation.(Izumi Nakayama)
FYW: Southern Women: Black and White
This seminar will explore the experiences of Southern Women from 1800 to the present through the literature written by and about them. The method of study will include: describing the culturally defined image of Southern women, tracing the effect of this definition on female behavior, defining how the realities of Southern women’s lives were often at odds with the ideal, and examining the struggle of black and white women to confront racism and cultural expectations and to find a way to achieve self-determination. (Marian Strobel)
Dr. Fray asked if there was any discussion for courses recommended for Women and Gender Studies Concentration credit. There was no discussion.
Recommended for Latin American Studies Concentration credit:
ANT 211: Mayan Archaeology
Travel-study course focusing upon the Maya peoples of Mesoamerica. This course will examine what their glyphs, and what household, settlement, and urban archaeology reveal about the history and culture of the ancient Maya.
HST 141: Colonial Latin America
Survey of the Spanish and Portuguese Empires in the western hemisphere, from the first explorations and settlements until the achievement of independence in the 1820s. The course includes coverage of political and religious institutions and social issues such as race relations and piracy.
HST 142: Modern Latin America
Survey of Latin America since the nineteenth century. Topics include, but are not limited to nationalism, military authoritarianism, social revolution and the wealth inequities that have defined the region as part of the developing world. Case studies will often be used to highlight continental trends.
Dr. Fray asked if there was any discussion on the courses recommended for Latin American Studies Concentration credit. There was no discussion.
Recommended for Environmental Studies Concentration credit:
BA 312: The Sustainable Corporation
Exposes students to business applications of sustainable development and corporate strategies based on economic, environmental and social criteria. Demonstrates how the corporate world plays a central role in making progress toward sustainability. Focus on the inter-relatedness of business and natural systems, and how corporations use sustainability as a value driver.
Dr. Fray asked if there was any discussion on the course recommended for Environmental Studies Concentration credit. There was no discussion.
Dr. Fray then called for discussion on the report in its entirety. There was no discussion. The MOTION PASSED in a voice vote with no dissension.
Dr. Abernethy, Chair, Academic Policies Committee MOVED that the faculty approve the following changes to the Music Major requirements.
Proposal from the Music Department
The recent University-wide calendar and curriculum revision, coupled with our department’s decennial self-study and re-accredidation for the National Association of Schools of Music presented our faculty with an unusually rich set of planning opportunities and challenges. Standing now near the conclusion of a lengthy and thorough review of our programs and their curricula, I believe we have made significant improvements in every aspect of our work. We have dramatically broadened our general education offerings in music, strengthened the five existing music degree programs through a reallocation of credit that allows the creation of several new courses, and have thus ensured for all of our majors experiences in world music, improvisation and music technology that align with the dynamic set of standards set by NASM. At the same time, by taking advantage of the strengths and interests of several key faculty members and in response to a growing interest on the part of our students, we have created a new BM track in Composition. You will see the specifics of these degree programs in the attached charts. I appreciate your sharing this information with the other members of the APC, and I will look forward to answering any questions that you or they might have after reviewing these materials.
Bachelor of Arts – Music – Proposed
Fall Spring
Freshman Musicianship I (CGA)
· Theory (2)
· Aural (1)
· Keyboard (1)
Performance Studies (2)
Performance Topics (2)
CGA (4)
FY Seminar (4) (CGA)
Colloquium, Recital, Ensemble Musicianship II
· Theory (2)
· Aural (1)
· Keyboard (1)
Performance Studies (2)
Introduction to Music Literature (2)
CGA (4)
FY Seminar (4)
Recital, Ensemble
Sophomore Musicianship III
· Theory (2)
· Aural (1)
· Keyboard (1)
Performance Studies (2)
Applied Improvisational Skills (2)
Music History I (2)
Music Elective (2)
CGA (4)
Recital, Ensemble
Musicianship IV
· Theory (2)
· Aural (1)
· Keyboard (1)
Performance Studies (2)
Basic Conducting (2)
World Music (4) (CGA)
CGA (4)
Recital, Ensemble
Junior Music History II (4)
Elective (4)
Elective (4)
CGA (4)
Recital, Ensemble
Music History III (2)
Music Elective (2)
CGA (4)
PHL 22, IDS 30, THA 11, or ART 26 (4)
Elective (4)
Recital, Ensemble
Senior Elective (4)
Elective (4)
CGA (4)
CGA (4)
Recital, Ensemble Elective (4)
CGA (4)
CGA (4)
CGA (4)
Recital, Ensemble
Bachelor of Music in Performance - Organ - Proposed
Fall Spring
Freshman Musicianship I (CGA)
· Theory (2)
· Aural (1)
· Keyboard (1)
Performance Studies – Organ (2)
Performance Topics (2)
CGA (4)
FY Seminar (4) CGA
Colloquium, Recital, Ensemble Musicianship II
· Theory (2)
· Aural (1)
· Keyboard (1)
Performance Studies - Organ (2)
Introduction to Music Literature (2)
CGA (4)
FY Seminar (4)
Recital, Ensemble, Collaborative coaching
Sophomore Musicianship III
· Theory (2)
· Aural (1)
· Keyboard (1)
Performance Studies – Organ (2)
Music History I (2)
CGA (4)
CGA (4)
Recital, Ensemble, Collaborative coaching
Musicianship IV
· Theory (2)
· Aural (1)
· Keyboard (1)
Performance Studies – Organ (2)
Basic Conducting (2)
World Music (4) (CGA)
CGA (4)
Recital, Ensemble, Collaborative coaching
Junior Performance Studies - Organ (4)
Music History II (4)
Piano Pedagogy (2)
Music Elective (2)
CGA (4)
Recital, Ensemble, Collaborative coaching Performance Studies – Organ (4)
Music History III (2)
Harpsichord (2)
Service Playing (2)
Music Elective (2)
CGA (4)
Junior Recital (0)
Recital, Ensemble, Collaborative coaching
Senior Performance Studies - Organ (4)
CGA (4)
Music Elective (2)
Music Elective (2)
CGA (4)
Recital, Ensemble, Collaborative coaching Performance Studies - Organ (4)
CGA (4)
Organ History and Literature (4)
CGA (4)
Senior Recital (0)
Recital, Ensemble, Collaborative coaching
Notes:
1. “Performance Topics” addresses basic issues and skills needed to accompany vocalists and instrumentalists effectively (along with other piano topics). “Collaborative Coaching” sessions, which begin in the spring of the freshman year and continue each term after that, provide additional assistance when an organ student is to accompany on a recital.
2. Accompanying for organ majors commences in the spring of the freshman year, following the “Performance Topics” course. Exceptions to accompanying in the freshman year fall term may be made in cases where students are clearly ready, both technically / musically and in terms of experience, to accompany effectively.
3. “Service Playing” and “The Development of the Organ and its Music” are offered every other year. Upperclassmen pursuing this degree take each in either their junior or senior year, depending on when it is offered.
5. Junior and Senior organ performance majors may accompany in lieu of participating in a large ensemble. This accompanying involves playing for 2 senior recitals or 3 junior recitals.
6. Organ performance majors will take six semester hours of upper level classes in music history and music theory. They make take any combination of classes, but must have at least one class from the music theory and one class from the music history offerings.
7. Organ performance majors will perform a Junior recital of approximately 30 minutes and a Senior recital of approximately 60 minutes. These recitals may be presented in either fall or spring term. They must be approved by the Keyboard Area faculty, by means of a Recital Approval Jury held approximately one month before the recital.
Other considerations:
1. Performance courses (per NASM):
Performance Studies - Piano (24)
Applied Topics (2)
Advanced Collaborative Piano (2)
Piano Pedagogy (2)
Introduction to Organ/Harpsichord (2)
Applied Improvisation (2)
Total = 34 Hours (28% of a 120-hour curriculum) - NASM Standard is 25-35%
2. Supporting courses (per NASM):
Core Music Theory (16)
Core Music History (14)
The Development of the Piano and its Music (4)
Music Electives (4)
Basic Conducting (2)
Total = 40 Hours (33% of a 120-hour curriculum) - NASM Standard is 25-35%
Bachelor of Music in Performance – Piano – Proposed
Fall Spring
Freshman MUS 111 Musicianship I CGA
· Theory (2)
· Aural (1)
· Keyboard (1)
Performance Studies (2)
Performance Topics (SR, Coll., etc.) (2)
CGA (4)
FY Seminar (4) CGA
Colloquium, Recital, Ensemble MUS 112 Musicianship II
· Theory (2)
· Aural (1)
· Keyboard (1)
Performance Studies (2)
MUS 120 Introduction to Music Literature (2)
CGA (4)
FY Seminar (4)
Recital, Ensemble, Chamber coaching
Sophomore MUS 211 Musicianship III
· Theory (2)
· Aural (1)
· Keyboard (1)
Performance Studies (2)
MUS 221 Music History I (2)
CGA (4)
CGA (4)
Recital, Ensemble, Chamber coaching
MUS 212 Musicianship IV
· Theory (2)
· Aural (1)
· Keyboard (1)
Performance Studies (2)
MUS 352 Basic Conducting (2)
MUS 220 World Music (4) CGA
CGA (4)
Recital, Ensemble, Chamber coaching
Junior Performance Studies (4)
MUS 320 Music History II (4)
MUS 565 Piano Pedagogy (2)*
MUS 568 Introduction to Organ/Harpsichord (2)*
CGA (4)
Recital, Ensemble, Chamber coaching Performance Studies (4)
MUS 321 Music History III (2)
Music Elective (2)
MUS 564 Advanced Collaborative Piano (2)*
Music Elective (2)
CGA (4)
Junior Recital (0)
Recital, Ensemble, Chamber coaching
Senior Performance Studies (4)
Music Elective (2)
Music Elective (2)
CGA (4)
CGA (4)
Recital, Ensemble, Chamber coaching Performance Studies (4)
Mus 421 History & Literature of the Piano (4)*
CGA (4)
CGA (4)
Senior Recital (0)
Recital, Ensemble, Chamber coaching
Notes:
1. The proposal includes two courses related to accompanying. “Applied Topics” would address basic issues and skills needed to accompany vocalists and instrumentalists effectively (along with other piano topics). “Advanced Collaborative Piano” would involve class coaching on more challenging accompaniments in both the vocal and instrumental literatures, utilizing repertory that students are actually accompanying in the various studios.
2. Accompanying for piano and organ majors would begin in the spring of the freshman year, following the freshman “Applied Topics” course. Exceptions to accompanying in the freshman year fall term could be made in cases where students are clearly ready, both technically / musically and in terms of experience, to accompany effectively. The current private coachings would continue to be available throughout the sophomore, junior, and senior years on an “as needed” basis.
3. A new 2-credit course, “Piano Pedagogy”, is required in the fall term of the junior or senior year.
4. “Piano Pedagogy”, “Introduction to Organ/Harpsichord”, and “The Development of the Piano and its Music” would each be offered every other year: upperclassmen pursuing this degree would take each in either their junior or senior year, depending on when it is offered.
5. Juniors and Senior performance majors would be able to accompany in lieu of participating in a large ensemble. This accompanying would involve playing for 2 senior recitals or 3 junior recitals.
6. Piano performance majors will take six semester hours of upper-level classes in music history and music theory. They make take any combination of classes, but must have at least one class from the music theory and one class from the music history offerings.
7. Performance majors will perform a Junior recital of approximately 30 minutes and a Senior recital of approximately 60 minutes. These recitals can be presented in either fall or spring term. Recitals must be approved by the Keyboard Area by passing a Recital Approval Jury approximately one month before the event.
Other considerations:
1. Performance courses (per NASM):
Performance Studies - Piano (24)
Applied Topics (2)
Advanced Collaborative Piano (2)
Piano Pedagogy (2)
Introduction to Organ/Harpsichord (2)
Applied Improvisation (2)
Total = 34 Hours (28% of a 120-hour curriculum) - NASM Standard is 25-35%
2. Supporting courses (per NASM):
Core Music Theory (16)
Core Music History (14)
The Development of the Piano and its Music (4)
Music Electives (4)
Basic Conducting (2)
Total = 40 Hours (33% of a 120-hour curriculum) - NASM Standard is 25-35%
Bachelor of Music in Performance – Strings – Proposed
Fall Spring
Freshman MUS 111 Musicianship I CGA
· Theory (2)
· Aural (1)
· Keyboard (1)
Performance Studies (2)
Performance Topics (2)
CGA (4)
FY Seminar (4) CGA
Colloquium, Recital, Orchestra MUS 112 Musicianship II
· Theory (2)
· Aural (1)
· Keyboard (1)
Performance Studies (2)
MUS 120 Introduction to Music Literature (2)
CGA (4)
FY Seminar (4)
Recital, Orchestra
Sophomore
MUS 211 Musicianship III
· Theory (2)
· Aural (1)
· Keyboard (1)
Performance Studies (2)
MUS 221 Music History I (2)
CGA (4)
CGA (4)
Recital, Orchestra
MUS 212 Musicianship IV
· Theory (2)
· Aural (1)
· Keyboard (1)
Performance Studies (2)
MUS 352 Basic Conducting (2)
MUS 220 World Music (4) CGA
CGA (4)
Recital, Orchestra
Junior Performance Studies (4)
Music Elective (2)*
Music Elective (2)
MUS 320 Music History II (4)
CGA (4)
Recital, Orchestra, Chamber Music Performance Studies (4)
Music Elective (2)
Music Elective (2)
Methods (2)
MUS 321 Music History III (2)
CGA (4)
Recital, Orchestra, Chamber Music
Senior Performance Studies (4)
Music Elective (2)
MUS 420 Literature of the Instrument (2)
CGA (4)
CGA (4)
Recital, Orchestra Performance Studies (4)
Music Elective (2)
Music Elective (2)
CGA (4)
CGA (4)
Recital, Orchestra
· The music electives may be taken in any combination in any term. Of the total of ten hours, eight hours will be in courses numbered 300 and above
Bachelor of Music in Performance – Voice – Proposed
Fall Spring
Freshman MUS 111 Musicianship I CGA
· Theory (2)
· Aural (1)
· Keyboard (1)
Performance Studies (2)
Performance Topics–Diction (2)
CGA (4)
FY Seminar (4) CGA
Colloquium, Recital, Ensemble MUS 112 Musicianship II
· Theory (2)
· Aural (1)
· Keyboard (1)
Performance Studies (2)
MUS 120 Introduction to Music Literature (2)
CGA (4)
FY Seminar (4)
Recital, Ensemble
Sophomore MUS 211 Musicianship III
· Theory (2)
· Aural (1)
· Keyboard (1)
Performance Studies (2)
MUS 221 Music History I (2)
CGA (4)
CGA (4)
Recital, Ensemble MUS 212 Musicianship IV
· Theory (2)
· Aural (1)
· Keyboard (1)
Performance Studies (2)
MUS 352 Basic Conducting (2)
MUS 220 World Music (4) CGA
CGA (4)
Recital, Ensemble
Junior Performance Studies (4)
MUS 320 Music History II (4)
Opera Performance Studies (2)
Music Elective (2)*
CGA (4)
Recital, Ensemble Performance Studies (4)
Junior Recital (0)
MUS 321 Music History III(2)
Music Elective (2)
Music Elective (2)*
MUS 420 Literature of the Instrument (2)*
CGA (4)
Recital, Ensemble
Senior Performance Studies (4)
MUS 512 Vocal Pedagogy (2)
Music Elective (2)*
CGA (4)
CGA (4)
Recital, Ensemble
Performance Studies (4)
Senior Recital (0)
Music Elective (2)*
Music Elective (2)
CGA (4)
CGA (4)
Recital, Ensemble
*Music Electives may be taken anytime during junior and senior years. There must be 8 hours, 6 of which are from music courses numbered 300 and above.
Bachelor of Music - Music Education – Proposed
(Band or Orchestra Emphasis)
Fall Spring
Freshman MUS 111 Musicianship I CGA
· Theory (2)
· Aural (1)
· Keyboard (1)
Performance Studies (2)
Applied Topics (2)
CGA (4)
FY Seminar (4) CGA
Recital, Major Ensemble MUS 112 Musicianship II
· Theory (2)
· Aural (1)
· Keyboard (1)
Performance Studies (2)
MUS 120 Introduction to Music Literature (2)
CGA (4)
FY Seminar (4)
Recital, Major Ensemble
Sophomore MUS 211 Musicianship III
· Theory (2)
· Aural (1)
· Keyboard (1)
Performance Studies (2)
MUS 221 Music History I (2)
CGA (4)
CGA (4)
Recital, Major Ensemble MUS 212 Musicianship IV
· Theory (2)
· Aural (1)
· Keyboard (1)
Performance Studies (2)
MUS 352 Basic Conducting (2)
MUS 220 World Music (4) CGA
Ed 11 (4)
Recital, Major Ensemble
Junior MUS 320 Music History II (4)
Performance Studies (2)
MUS 353 Instrumental Conducting (2)
MUS 330 String or
MUS 331 WW Methods (2)
MUS 333 Percussion Methods (2)
Ed 20 (4) CGA
Recital, Major Ensemble MUS 321 Music History III (2)
Music Elective (2)
Performance Studies (2)
MUS 332 Brass Methods (2)
MUS 312 Orchestration (2)
MUS 431 Vocal/Choral Methods (2)
Ed 21 (4)
Recital, Major Ensemble
Senior MUS 433 Instrumental Methods (4)
Performance Studies (2)
MUS 330 String or
MUS 331 WW Methods (2)
CGA (4)
CGA (4)
Senior Recital (0)
Recital, Major Ensemble Teaching Internship (16)
Bachelor of Music – Music Education – Proposed
(Elementary or Choral Emphasis)
Fall Spring
Freshman MUS 111 Musicianship I CGA
· Theory (2)
· Aural (1)
· Keyboard (1)
Performance Studies (2)
Applied Topics (2)
CGA (4)
FY Seminar (4) CGA
Recital, Major Ensemble MUS 112 Musicianship II
· Theory (2)
· Aural (1)
· Keyboard (1)
Performance Studies (2)
MUS 120 Introduction to Music Literature (2)
CGA (4)
FY Seminar (4)
Recital, Major Ensemble
Sophomore MUS 211 Musicianship III
· Theory (2)
· Aural (1)
· Keyboard (1)
Performance Studies (2)
MUS 221 Music History I (2)
CGA (4)
CGA (4)
Recital, Major Ensemble MUS 212 Musicianship IV
· Theory (2)
· Aural (1)
· Keyboard (1)
Performance Studies (2)
MUS 352, Basic Conducting (2)
Ed 11 (4)
MUS 220 World Music (4) CGA
Recital, Major Ensemble
Junior MUS 320 Music History II (4)
MUS 430 Elementary Methods (2)
Performance Studies (2)
MUS 354 Choral Conducting (2)
Music Elective (2)
Ed 20 (4) CGA
Recital, Major Ensemble MUS 321 Music History III (2)
MUS 312 Orchestration (2)
Performance Studies (2)
MUS 432 Survey of Choral Literature (2)
Ed 21 (4)
CGA (4)
Recital, Major Ensemble
Senior MUS 434 Music Education Methods (4)
Performance Studies (2)
MUS 431 Vocal/Choral Methods (2)
Music Elective (2)
MUS 512 Vocal Pedagogy (2)
CGA (4)
Senior Recital (0)
Recital, Major Ensemble
Teaching Internship (16)
Bachelor of Music in Composition – Proposed
Fall Spring
Freshman MUS 111 Musicianship I CGA
· Theory (2)
· Aural (1)
· Keyboard (1)
· Composition Seminar (1)
Performance Studies (2)
Performance Topics (2)
CGA (4)
FY Seminar (4) (CGA)
Colloquium, Recital, Ensemble MUS 112 Musicianship II
· Theory (2)
· Aural (1)
· Keyboard (1)
· Composition Seminar (1)1
Performance Studies (2)
MUS 120 Introduction to Music Literature (2)
CGA (4)
FY Seminar (4)
Recital, Ensemble
Sophomore MUS 211 Musicianship III
· Theory (2)
· Aural (1)
· Keyboard (1)
· Composition Seminar (1)1
[Marker][Marker]Performance Studies (2)
MUS 221 Music History I (2)
CGA (4)
CGA (4)
Recital, Ensemble MUS 212 Musicianship IV
· Theory (2)
· Aural (1)
· Keyboard (1)
· Composition Seminar (1)1
Performance Studies (2)
MUS 352 Basic Conducting (2)
MUS 220 World Music (4) CGA
CGA (4)
Recital, Ensemble
Junior MUS 320 Music History II (4)
MUS 310 Form and Analysis (4)
MUS 311 Composition or I/S (2)
Methods (1)
Performance Studies (1)
CGA (4)
Recital, Ensemble MUS 321 Music History III (2)
MUS 312 Orchestration (2)
MUS 411 Contemporary Styles and Techniques (4)2
MUS 314 Advanced Topics in Music Technology or I/S (2)3
Methods (1)4
Performance Studies (1)
CGA (4)
Recital, Ensemble
Senior Counterpoint (Modal or Tonal) (4)2
MUS 311 Composition or I/S (2)3
Methods (1)4
Performance Studies (1)
CGA (4)
CGA (4)
Recital, Ensemble Senior Project (2)
Music Elective (2)
Music Elective (2)
Methods (1)4
Performance Studies (1)
CGA (4)
CGA (4)
Recital, Ensemble
Bachelor of Music – Church Music –Proposed
Fall Spring
Freshman MUS 111 Musicianship I CGA
· Theory (2)
· Aural (1)
· Keyboard (1)
Performance Studies (2)
Performance Topics (2)
CGA (4)
FY Seminar (4) CGA
Recital, Major Ensemble MUS 112 Musicianship II
· Theory (2)
· Aural (1)
· Keyboard (1)
Performance Studies (2)
MUS 120 Introduction to Music Literature (2)
CGA (4)
FY Seminar (4)
Recital, Major Ensemble
Sophomore MUS 211 Musicianship III
· Theory (2)
· Aural (1)
· Keyboard (1)
Performance Studies (2)
MUS 221 Music History I (2)
CGA (4)
CGA (4)
Recital, Major Ensemble MUS 212Musicianship IV
· Theory (2)
· Aural (1)
· Keyboard (1)
Performance Studies (2)
MUS 352 Basic Conducting (2)
MUS 220 World Music (4) CGA
CGA (4)
Recital, Major Ensemble
Junior MUS 320 Music History II (4)
Performance Studies (2)
MUS 354 Choral Conducting (2)
MUS 430 Elementary Music Methods (2)
Music Elective (2)
CGA (4)
Recital, Major Ensemble MUS 321 Music History III (2)
MUS 312 Orchestration (2)
Performance Studies (2)
MUS 432 Survey of Choral Literature (2)
CGA (4)
CGA (4)
Recital, Major Ensemble
Senior Performance Studies (2)
Senior Recital (0)
MUS 340 Church Music Ministry (2) *
MUS 341 Hymnology (2) *
MUS 431 Vocal/Choral Methods (2)
CGA (4)
CGA (4)
Recital, Major Ensemble Performance Studies (2)
Service Playing** or
Music Elective (2)
Music Elective (2)
MUS 512 Vocal Pedagogy (2)
MUS 440 Practicum in Church Music (4)
Religion Course (CGA) (4)
Recital, Major Ensemble
Bachelor of Music in Theory – Proposed
Fall Spring
Freshman MUS 111 Musicianship I CGA
· Theory (2)
· Aural (1)
· Keyboard (1)
· Composition Seminar (1)
Performance Studies (2)
Performance Topics (2)
CGA (4)
FY Seminar (4) CGA
Colloquium, Recital, Ensemble MUS 112 Musicianship II
· Theory (2)
· Aural (1)
· Keyboard (1)
· Composition Seminar (1)1
Performance Studies (2)
MUS 120 Introduction to Music Literature (2)
CGA (4)
FY Seminar (4)
Recital, Ensemble
Sophomore MUS 211 Musicianship III
· Theory (2)
· Aural (1)
· Keyboard (1)
· Composition Seminar (1)1
Performance Studies (2)
MUS 221 Music History I (2)
CGA (4)
CGA (4)
Recital, Ensemble MUS 212 Musicianship IV
· Theory (2)
· Aural (1)
· Keyboard (1)
· Composition Seminar (1)1
Performance Studies (2)
MUS 352 Basic Conducting (2)
MUS 220 World Music (4) CGA
CGA (4)
Recital, Ensemble
Junior MUS 320 Music History II (4)
MUS 310 Form and Analysis (4)
MUS 311 Composition (2)
Performance Studies (1)
Methods (1)
CGA (4)
Recital, Ensemble MUS 321 Music History III (2)
Music Elective (2)
Contemporary Styles and Techniques (4)2
Performance Studies (1)
Methods (1)3
MUS 312 Orchestration (2)
CGA (4)
Recital, Ensemble
Senior Counterpoint (Modal or Tonal) (4)2
Upper Level Music Elective (2)
Performance Studies (1)
Methods (1)3
CGA (4)
CGA (4)
Recital, Ensemble Senior Project (2)
Music Elective (2)
Upper Level Music Elective (2)4
Performance Studies (1)
Methods (1)3
CGA (4)
CGA (4)
Recital, Ensemble
Bachelor of Music Winds / Percussion - Proposed
Fall Spring
Freshman MUS 111 Musicianship I CGA
· Theory (2)
· Aural (1)
· Keyboard (1)
Performance Studies (2)
Performance Topics (2)
CGA (4)
FY Seminar (4) CGA
Colloquium (0), Recital, Ensembles MUS 112 Musicianship II
· Theory (2)
· Aural (1)
· Keyboard (1)
Performance Studies (2)
MUS 120 Introduction to Music Literature (2)
CGA (4)
FY Seminar (4)
Recital, Ensembles
Sophomore MUS 211 Musicianship III
· Theory (2)
· Aural (1)
· Keyboard (1)
Performance Studies (2)
MUS 221 Music History I (2)
CGA (4)
CGA (4)
Recital, Ensembles MUS 212 Musicianship IV
· Theory (2)
· Aural (1)
· Keyboard (1)
Performance Studies (2)
MUS 352 Basic Conducting (2)
MUS 220 World Music (4) CGA
CGA (4)
Recital, Ensembles
Junior Performance Studies (4)
MUS 320 Music History II (4)
Music Elective (2)
Music Elective (2)
CGA (4)
Recital, Ensembles Performance Studies (4)
MUS 321 Music History III (2)
Music Elective (2)
MUS 312 Orchestration (2)
Methods Course (2)*
CGA (4)
Junior Recital (0)
Recital, Ensembles
Senior Performance Studies (4)
MUS 420 Literature of the Instrument (2)
Music Elective (2)
CGA (4)
CGA (4)
Recital, Ensembles Performance Studies (3)
Chamber Music (1) *
Music Elective (2)
Music Elective (2)
CGA (4)
CGA (4)
Senior Recital (0)
Recital, Ensembles
* Methods Course a/o Chamber Music may be taken either semester in either the junior or senior year.
Students will choose eight music hours beyond the core. At least 6 of those hours must be courses numbered 300 or above.
Dr. Fray asked if there was any discussion on the changes to the Music major. There was no discussion. The MOTION PASSED with no dissension.
Dr. Abernethy recommended that the faculty approve the following changes to the Political Science major.
Rationale
The Department of Political Science has evaluated the requirements for a political science major in light of the following :
? A number of respondents to the 2007 survey of political science alumni expressed a wish that they had been pushed to take advantage of an engaged learning experience. They see now that they missed out on an opportunity that would have served them well in their chosen career.
? The Department has worked for many years to provide a wide variety of engaged learning opportunities for its majors in line with Department and University objectives. It now offers enough credit-bearing courses to meet the projected need should the Department require each major to complete an engaged learning experience.
Proposed Change
The Department proposes that one of the current advanced course electives be transformed into an “engaged learning requirement.” “Engaged learning” is defined as any PSC credit-bearing course offered in a fall, spring, or summer term that includes a major study away and/or internship component, or any TWO political science courses (total 4 credit hours) offered in the May Experience.
Catalogue Entry
A major in political science must include:
? PSC-101, 102, 103, 150;
? At least one advanced course in three of the four designated sub-fields: American
Politics, Comparative Politics, International Relations, and Political Thought;
? One “engaged learning” course offered in a fall, spring, or summer term or
any two PSC courses (total 4 credit hours) offered in the May Experience
[exceptions to this requirement may be granted on appeal to the chair];
? One additional advanced course in political science.
Dr. Fray asked if there was any discussion on the changes to the Polictical Science Major. There was no discussion. The MOTION PASSED with no dissension.
Dr. Abernethy MOVED that the faculty approve the following changes to the English Major.
HISTORY
The Furman University English Department last made changes to the pattern of the requirements for the major in 1982, and these changes were not very wide-ranging. In the quarter-century since that time, the Department has increased the number of full-time faculty members (from 11 to 16) and has added courses, so a reconsideration of the English major is overdue. The decision to undertake broad curricular and calendar change has afforded the Department an opportunity to undertake that reconsideration. The proposed English major brings our offerings and our requirements into a more appropriate alignment with current professional organization of the field of English studies and with current practices within it. The changes might be generally characterized as a broadening from a largely historical and generic organization of our offerings in the field to a set of more fluid, and to some extent overlapping categories that scrutinize and refurbish the older categories and acknowledge the larger and more diverse text-milieu in which the field of English studies now claims an interest.
All department members have been involved in drafting and discussion of the proposed major, sometimes as individuals and sometimes as members of various subcommittees. The Department benefited from the insights of two consultants who were engaged in Spring Term 2007 to examine our program and our proposals – Professor Jesse Matz of Kenyon College and Professor David L. Smith of Williams College. The Department is grateful to Tom Kazee, Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean, for providing the funding for the consultants. Professor Matz addressed our proposed curriculum and major requirements with particularly useful specificity. He and Professor Smith also made some non-programmatic suggestions about departmental organization that we believe will be useful as we proceed.
DEPARTMENTAL MISSION
The Department of English believes that the study of literature, linguistics, theatre, and film is central to a liberal arts education. A leader in bringing to Furman students innovative, diverse and pluralistic courses of studies in the humanities, the department in its teaching and hiring integrates the best of traditional perspectives with the most stimulating of newer theoretical and cultural approaches. These include semiotics, hermeneutics, psychoanalysis, formalism, poststructuralism, postcolonialism, gender and queer theory, cultural materialism, ecocriticism, and the new philology. We also offer courses in creative writing and professional writing. The department limits class size so that students can have adequate time to develop both their own writing skills and their own theoretically informed understanding of texts through in-class discussion and student-teacher conferences. Understanding that English majors will have a variety of intellectual interests and career expectations, the department gives its majors the opportunity to think unconventionally and independently by learning to read the nuance, complexity, and diversity of language in major works of literature, film, and theory.
THE ENGLISH MAJOR
A major program in English consists of at least TEN courses, which must include:
English 250 (Interpretive Strategies)
English 475 (Senior Seminar)
One course from Early Traditions (ENG 301, 302, 304, 307, 311, OR 340)
One course from Kinds of Literature: Forms/Genres (ENG 305, 306, 331, 374, OR 422)
One course from Literature and Global Society (ENG 312, 323,423, 425, 434, OR 454)
One course from Writers and Their Worlds (ENG 321, 332, 402, 403, 404, OR 412)
One course from Theory in Practice (362, 414, 452, 453, 461, OR 471)
Three electives from the major offerings (courses numbered 201 and above)
NOTES AND GUIDELINES
The department recommends that ENG 250 be taken as early as possible in the major. At least three sections of ENG 250 will be offered per academic year.
At least three Senior Seminars (ENG 475) will be offered per academic year.
Students who will be certifying to teach English in public schools will be required to meet both major requirements and other requirements specific to certification. Such students should consult with their advisor as soon as possible after their decision to certify.
Students who intend to pursue graduate study in English should take more courses than are required for the major and should consult with their advisors about their overall programs.
All requests for exceptions to major requirements must be approved by the department.
English majors will be given priority in enrollment for upper-level creative writing courses.
INFORMATION FOR THE ACADEMIC POLICIES COMMITTEE
The pattern of requirements specified above consists of the following courses that have been approved or are in the process of approval:
250 Interpretive Strategies
301 Literature of the Later 14th Century
302 Literature of Early Modern Britain
304 Restoration and 18th Century Literature
305 British Romantic Literature
306 Victorian Literature and Culture
307 Literature before Print
311 Settling: Writing of English America to 1830
312 “What is the Remedy?”: Emerson to Dickinson
321 The Victorian Novel
323 The Global English Novel
331 The American Novel to World War 1
332 The American Novel: World War 1 to the Present
340 Early Modern Drama
362 The English Language: How it Works
374 Heavenly Creatures: Stardom and Identity
402 Shakespeare on Film and in Production
403 Faulkner
404 Major Figures in Early Modern British Literature
412 Autobiographical Lives and Life
414 Structuralism, Deconstruction, and Semiotics
422 Literature of the South
423 Literature of the Irish Renaissance
425 18th Century Literature of Travel
434 Postcolonialisms: Theory and Praxis
452 Literary Feminisms
453 Slave Narrative to Slave Novel
454 Caribbean Cosmopolitanisms
461 Critical and Cultural Theory
471 South Asian Cultural Studies; Literature and Film
475 Senior Seminar
Note: The English Department’s offerings include about 35 courses over and above the ones listed above as elements of the requirement pattern. These include writing courses, internship courses, Study Away courses, and lower-level survey courses. Other upper-level courses that fall outside the pattern of requirements are available as electives within the major and will probably be offered less frequently than the courses that meet requirements. They include courses that are part of the Asian Studies program and the Theatre Arts program, and of various concentrations (Women’s and Gender Studies, English for Speakers of Other Languages, Black Cultures in the Americas, the soon-to be proposed Film Studies concentration. And perhaps, later, the Environmental Studies concentration ). The number of English courses both within and outside the requirement pattern means that even in academic years when two or three faculty members are on leave or on Study Away, students will still have plenty of choices to enable them to meet the requirements for the major.
Approved by the English Department, 14 January, 2008.
Dr Fray asked if there was any discussion on the changes to the English major. There was no discussion. The MOTION PASSED with no dissension.
Dr. Abernethy MOVED that the faculty adopt the following changes to the Asian Studies major.
Asian Studies Major Requirements
Brief Rationale. The Asian Studies Department has been working on strengthening the rigor of our major requirements. Majors often express frustration because all of their classes, with the sole exception of the AS seminar in the spring of their senior year, are open to the entire university and have a large contingent of students interested merely in satisfying their AA GER. Though many of the new advanced course offerings are courses we already teach, students registering for these courses will understand that they are advanced courses in Asian Studies with corresponding expectations for hard work and discipline, and not “simply GERs.”
Proposed Changes. We propose that all majors be required to take an Asian Studies Colloquium and at least one Asian Studies seminar. At least one seminar will be offered each semester rather than the single senior seminar of the past. Majors could take a seminar as juniors or seniors and could take more than one. We are also proposing a language track option for majors that would allow those taking seven language courses to drop one of the four disciplinary distribution requirements for the major.
We would like the course catalog to reflect our new sequencing of courses: Language Courses, Foundations in Asian Studies, Advanced Course Offerings, and Asian Studies Seminars. A draft of the 2008 course catalog is given below to convey the concept and new major requirements, though revisions will still be needed on precisely which courses to include next year since some have not worked their way through the proposal system yet (primarily those indicated with ??? in the numbering).
The AS seminars would be offered on a rotation, so that no single faculty member would be expected to offer one each year. We would like them to be listed with an AS prefix, though they would be open to other majors if space allows after AS majors are given priority. Likewise, the AS colloquium would be taught in a rotation. These courses will be offered in a rotation that would require faculty to offer one only every few semesters, and the courses will make nice additions for students from other majors to take as well. Most importantly, the seminars will provide outstanding training for majors in a department that aspires to be among the best nationally and will utilize the talents of our faculty more effectively.
Senior Seminars: Background. For some time, the Department of Asian Studies has required all majors to complete a capstone senior seminar. In a department with fairly limited offerings and almost entirely introductory courses, this course was conceived of as an experience that would draw seniors together to reflect upon the study of Asia as a whole before they graduated.
Our department, in terms of faculty numbers, is now the largest Asian Studies department in a liberal arts college in the south. Our language and foreign study programs and course offerings have not only grown, but have become more innovative and more in line with progressive trends in our fields on a national and international level. We now have over 40 majors and the support of the administration and alumni donors to develop programs second to none in the liberal arts setting. At the Asian Studies retreat in August 2006, the consensus amongst the Asian Studies faculty was that we could only have a high quality program if we worked on revising our curriculum in a manner that, among other things, allow our majors to take more “advanced” (i.e. non-introductory/ survey-style) courses that took advantage of the specialized knowledge and research interests of our faculty. There is no single over-arching approach to reflecting upon the Asian Studies field. Rather, we should confidently present a multiplicity of approaches. We are the best judges of advanced topics to address with students and it is likely that the texts and themes we present will reflect deep engagement with particular areas and cultures and involve comparative and varied theoretical approaches.
We propose that we replace the single spring term Asian Studies 75 capstone senior seminar with two Asian Studies Seminars each year, possibly one taught in the Fall semester and one taught in the Spring semester. The professor teaching this seminar would proceed with the aim of preparing a course for reading, writing about and discussing topics in their Asia-related field at what they deemed an advanced, rigorous undergraduate level. Such seminars would be capped at 15 students. Asian Studies major seniors would have first choice, but the professor, at her own discretion, could admit Asian Studies juniors or seniors from their other (i.e. disciplinary) department. We as a department will schedule a four-year rotation plan to ensure that 1) all professors interested in teaching such seminars may do so in a timely way, 2) that each year seminars will be offered by faculty with different regional and disciplinary training.
Sophomore/Junior Colloquium: Background. There are three aims for this new (four-credit) departmental course: To lead our majors 1) to investigate "Asia" as a conceptual and geopolitical space, 2) to critically investigate the discipline of Asian Studies, and 3) to collectively undertake this reflection soon after they declare the major so they can pursue their studies with enhanced awareness of its purpose and value. The course will also be seen as a means to fostering departmental cohesion and exchange amongst students and faculty. This course will be required for completion of the major.
The course will introduce Asian Studies majors to a variety of methods, topics, and ideas from the disciplines of the humanities and social sciences. The course could examine, for instance, five major themes and related methodologies, which could be altered or adjusted at the discretion of the instructor in each edition of the course. These are:
1) History and literary analysis into language, writing, and culture.
2) Sociology, anthropology, and history to navigate the relationships between the individual, the family, and the state.
3) Economics/economic history, philosophy, religious studies, and art history shed light on the flow of things and ideas.
4) Nationalism and international relations through the lenses of politics and postcolonial studies.
5) Media and cultural studies to examine the connections between politics and popular culture.
In advising sessions with the department Chair and Asian Studies academic advisers, majors will be counseled to take the colloquium at a particular time. All majors must take the colloquium within the three semesters after they have declared the major. Most students signed up for the colloquium will be Sophomores and Juniors.
The colloquium could be team-taught (for two credits for each professor) or by one professor with several guest lectures from colleagues in the department.
Chinese/Japanese Tracks within the Department: Background. In the past two years, we have been fortunate to see significant increases in both the numbers of students taking Japanese and Chinese language courses and the number of these course offerings. The growth has been especially notable in Chinese due to national trends, and Curry funded initiatives such as the hiring of Harry Kuoshu and the Summer China Experience program. We currently have students of Chinese and Japanese who wish to take three or four years worth of language courses. Through our study programs in China, a number of our students are now taking “intensive” Chinese courses for which they receive eight-credits (two courses) of Chinese language study in one term. We now have a full four-year Chinese language program in place. We have long held that language study is a foundation of our Asian Studies program. Yet we actually now have students who are considering not majoring in Asian Studies because they want to take more Chinese language courses than would be possible to fit in as an Asian Studies major.
This proposal is merely an attempt to create a track for those most serious students of Chinese and Japanese who also wish to be Asian Studies majors. In short, students who sign up for a Japanese or Chinese concentration within the Asian Studies major would need to take a minimum of 7 courses in their target language (Chinese or Japanese). As a result, they would be permitted to complete the Asian Studies with three rather than four disciplinary distribution requirements in the major. They would not be permitted to be exempted from the regional distribution requirement. By granting language track students exemption from one of the disciplinary distribution requirements, they will be able to major in Asian Studies with a language track by taking only one course more than the non-language track major.
Draft of Catalog Copy Reflecting these Changes.
Asian Studies
Professors: Shaner, Xu, Yagi. Khandke
Associate Professors: Britt, Chen, Kaup (Chair), Kiely
Assistant Professors: Bhati, Knight, Kuoshu, Nair, Nakayama
Visiting Assistant Professor: Xiao
Lecturer: Tokunaga, Yazijian
A student can arrange an interdisciplinary major in Asian Studies comprised of eight to eleven courses from those listed below. Students will focus on South Asia, China, or Japan, but their studies will also include the other two areas. They are expected to maintain a disciplinary balance including one course from each of the following four disciplinary fields: history, the social sciences, philosophy or religion and arts or literature.
An Asian Studies Colloquium and Advanced Seminar are required of all majors. The Colloquium should be completed within two semesters of declaring the major.
Majors focusing on China or Japan are required to enroll through the 201 level in the appropriate language. This course will be included in the major requirements. Majors focusing on India are encouraged, though not required, to study Hindi.
Majors may elect to focus on Chinese or Japanese language within the major by completing seven semesters of either language. Majors focusing on language may opt to select courses from three rather than four disciplinary fields, though they must fulfill the regional distribution requirement by completing at least one course each on South Asia, China, and Japan.
Language Courses
CHN 111 Elementary Chinese
CHN 120 Elementary Chinese
CHN 201 Intermediate Chinese I
CHN 202 Intermediate Chinese II
CHN 301 Intermediate Chinese III
CHN 302 Intermediate Chinese IV
CHN 401 Advanced Chinese I
CHN 402 Advanced Chinese II
CHN 065 Chinese Language House I
CHN 266 Chinese Language House II
JPN 111 Elementary Japanese I
JPN 120 Elementary Japanese II
JPN 201 Intermediate Japanese I
JPN 202 Intermediate Japanese II
JPN 301 Intermediate Japanese III
JPN 302 Intermediate Japanese IV
JPN 065 Japanese Language House I
JPN 266 Japanese Language House II
HND 10 Introductory Hindi
Foundations in Asian Studies
ANT 204 Understanding Modern Japanese Society through Films
ART 232 Arts of China and Japan
HST 155 Ancient and Early South Asia
HST 156 History of Modern South Asia
HST 165 Ancient and Imperial Chinese History
HST 166 History of Modern China
HST 160 Ancient and Early Japan
HST 161 History of Modern Japan
CHN 220 Survey of Chinese Fiction (in translation)
CHN 230 Survey of Chinese Literature (in translation)
CHN 235 Classic Chinese Fiction (in translation)
CHN 245 Twentieth Century Chinese Literature (in translation)
JPN 235 Classical Japanese Literature (in translation)
JPN 245 Modern Japanese Literature (in translation)
PHL 221 Indian Philosophy
PHL 222 Chinese Philosophy
PHL 223 Japanese Philosophy
PSC 226 Politics of China
PSC 229 Politics of Asia
REL 321 Buddhism
REL 325 Hinduism
REL 326 Religions of South Asia
Advanced Course Offerings
AS 300 Asian Studies Colloqium
ECN 243 Economic Growth and Development
ECN 249 Asian Economics
ECN 251 Chinese Economics
CHN 320 Foreign Studies in Chinese Culture (study away)
ENG 471 South Asia Cultural Studies: Literature and Film
ENG 473 Gender in South Asia Literature and Film
HST 260 Tales of Courtiers and Warriors: Narratives of Japan
HST 263 The A-Bomb in History and Culture
HST 264 Gender and Technology in East Asia
PSC 243 Issues in Chinese Politics (study away)
REL ??? Bodhisattva in East Asia
REL ??? Women and Power in Hinduism
Asian Studies Seminars
AS ?? Social Justice and Democratization in Asia
AS ?? Ethnographies of South Asia
AS ?? Gendering East Asia
???Additional Seminars To Be Proposed
Dr. Fray asked if there was any discussion on the changes to the Asian Studies major. There was no discussion. The MOTION PASSED in a voice vote with no dissension.
Dr. Abernethy recommended that the faculty approve the following recommendation from the Implementation Task Force (ITF) Steering Committee on Emeritus Faculty in the First Year Seminar Program.
Recommendation Regarding the Participation of Emeritus Faculty in the First Year Seminar Program
Emeritus faculty may participate in the First Year Seminar Program, provided that they complete and submit course proposals, secure endorsement from their departments and appropriate committees, and receive approval from the faculty.
Rationale: The Steering Committee of the Implementation Task Force believes that the First Year Seminar Program will benefit from the wisdom and experience of emeritus faculty who wish to offer FYW or FYS courses.
Dr. Fray asked if there was any discussion on this recommendation. There was no discussion. The MOTION PASSED in a voice vote with no dissension.
Dr. Abernethy MOVED that the faculty approve the following recommendation from the ITF Steering Committee on the Bachelor of Science Degree in the new curriculum.
Recommendation Regarding the Bachelor of Science Degree under the New Curriculum
The current catalogue description of the Bachelor of Science degree under Academic Programs, Degrees should be retained. The description is as follows:
The Bachelor of Science degree is awarded to students who desire a greater concentration in science or mathematics than the Bachelor of Arts affords. It is conferred in the following major subjects: biology, chemistry, computer science, computer science-mathematics, earth and environmental sciences, health and exercise science, information technology, mathematics, mathematics-economics, neuroscience, physics, pre-engineering and psychology.
The description under Requirements for the Bachelor’s Degree, Mathematics and Formal Reasoning should be the following:
“Students pursuing the Bachelor of Science degree must meet this requirement by successfully completing a course(s) in calculus.”
The description under Empirical Studies of the Natural World should be as follows:
“Students pursuing the Bachelor of Science degree must meet the requirement by successfully completing introductory courses appropriate for a major in any of the natural science disciplines: Biology, Chemistry, Earth and Environmental Sciences, and Physics.”
Rationale: This recommendation acknowledges that the University confers degrees by offering a global set of requirements for the Bachelor of Science degree. However, it also recognizes that departments granting the Bachelor of Science degree will continue to define major requirements for a Bachelor of Science degree within each discipline.
Dr. Fray asked if there was any discussion. There was no discussion and the MOTION PASSED in a voice vote with no dissension.
Dr. Fray stated that the next report will be from the Policies and Procedures Committee. This committee is presenting three policies which concern the status of library faculty. All three policies address issues dealing with status, benefits, and performance assessments. According to Policy 100.1 such changes must be allowed to lie on the table at least 30 days after they are first presented to the faculty. Therefore these policies are only being presented at this meeting. While they are open for discussion, no motions can be made. Since the April 3, 2008 meeting is less than 30 days away, the first time the faculty can make motions for amendments or vote on the policies will be at the May 12, 2008 faculty meeting.
Dr. Lorraine Dejong, Chair, Policies and Procedures Committee, presented three polices to the faculty. Policy 155.5 Corresponding Rank of Library Faculty which is a revision of the current Policy 155.5. Both Policy 155.2 Evaluation of Library Faculty and Policy 155.3 Promotion of Library Faculty are new policies.
Rationale
The rationale for updating Policy 155.5 "Equivalent Rank of Professional
Librarians" is that the policy does not use the appropriate terminology. The term
"library staff" instead of "library faculty" is used. In addition, the policy does not reflect (in C. Guidelines) the fact that the MLS is the terminal degree. The
corresponding ranks should reflect this.
155.5 Equivalent Rank of Professional Librarians Corresponding Rank of Library Faculty
A. Background
Members of the professional library staff are members of the faculty. (See Article II, Section I, of the Constitution and Bylaws of the Faculty of Furman University.) The purpose of this policy is to formalize and make a matter of record past and current administrative practice, which is in accordance with Standard Six on the library of the Standards of the College Delegate Assembly of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. Teaching faculty ranks are not specified but equivalent ranks are. Library faculty also have rank on the library staff which does not necessarily coincide with their equivalent rank nor with their position title. Corresponding to the Constitution, professional library staff are herein referred to as library faculty. Library faculty ranks correspond to those faculty ranks established in the Guidelines of File 157.8.
B. Policy
Members of the library staff who hold the terminal degree in library and/or information science professional graduate degrees (e.g., M.S. in library science) or who hold subject area graduate degrees as qualifications for specialized branch library positions will have membership in the faculty and will hold library have equivalent faculty rank. The following are guidelines for determining equivalent rank and are not intended to be binding or inflexible. Corresponding ranks are specified below.
The academic rank of an individual library faculty member shall be determined according to academic preparation, professional competence and stature, and quality and duration of service.
C. Guidelines
1. The library faculty ranks may be broadly characterized as follows:
1. The equivalent rank of Professor may be assigned to a member of the library staff who holds the Ph.D. degree or its equivalent or a second master's degree and has substantial experience--at least eight years of full-time work in a fully accredited college or university library. The chief administrative officer of the library will ordinarily hold this rank and act as a department chair.
2. The equivalent rank of Associate Professor may be assigned to a member of the library staff who has the doctorate or its equivalent or a second master's degree and substantial experience--at least six years of full-time work in a fully accredited college or university library. A staff member holding one master's degree may, with very substantial experience--probably twelve years or more--qualify for this rank.
3. The equivalent rank of Assistant Professor may be assigned to a member of the library staff who has the doctorate or its equivalent or a second master's degree and little or no experience. A staff member holding one master's degree may qualify for this rank after substantial experience--probably eight years or more--in a fully accredited college or university library.
4. The equivalent rank of Instructor will be held by a staff member with the master's degree in library science and with less than substantial experience.
a. Assistant Librarian: Library faculty members who have earned the master’s in library science, information science or other appropriate terminal degree but who have limited library experience in an accredited senior college or university (normally fewer than six years) usually hold the rank of Assistant Librarian. This corresponds to the rank of Assistant Professor.
b. Associate Librarian: Library faculty members who hold the master’s in library science, information science or other appropriate terminal degree, who have significant full-time library experience at the rank of Assistant Librarian in an accredited senior college or university (normally six or more years), and whose achievements as librarians, scholars, and contributors to the work of the University indicate growing competence and stature usually hold the rank of Associate Librarian. This corresponds to the rank of Associate Professor.
c. Librarian: Library faculty members who hold the master’s in library science, information science or other appropriate terminal degree, who have extensive library experience at the rank of Associate Librarian in an accredited senior
college or university (normally seven or more years), and whose achievements as librarians, scholars, and contributors to the work of the University are consistent with its highest faculty rank usually hold the rank of Librarian. This corresponds to the rank of Professor.
Abbreviated Guidelines
Qualifications
Equivalent Faculty Rank Rank on Library Staff Degrees Experience
--------------------- ------------------------- --------------------------------- ----------------
Professor Librarian Doctorate, or equivalent or 2nd Master's 8 or more~ years
Associate Professor~ Librarian or Associate Librarian Doctorate, or equivalent or 2nd Master's 6-12 years
Assistant Professor Associate or Assistant Librarian Doctorate, or equivalent or 2nd Master's 0-8 or more years
Instructor Assistant Librarian Master's 0-8 years
2. The terminal degree in library and information science is the Master’s degree (ALA Policy Manual, 54.2.1). The designation of another degree as an appropriate terminal degree will be made by the Director of Libraries in consultation with the Provost and Executive Vice-President.
3. The rank of a new library faculty member will be determined by the Provost and Executive Vice-President in consultation with the Director of Libraries. Rank at appointment shall be clearly stated in the original contract. The rank of a continuing library faculty member will be determined through the promotion process (File 155.3).
4. For a fuller statement of the criteria and procedures which govern promotion and rank, see File 155.3.
5. Library faculty positions are non-tenure track.
155.2 Evaluation of Library Faculty
Rationale
The rationale for updating Policy 155.5 "Equivalent Rank of Professional
Librarians" is that the policy does not use the appropriate terminology. The term
"library staff" instead of "library faculty" is used. In addition, the policy does not reflect (in C. Guidelines) the fact that the MLS is the terminal degree. The corresponding ranks should reflect this.
155.5 Equivalent Rank of Professional Librarians Corresponding Rank of Library Faculty
A. Background
Members of the professional library staff are members of the faculty. (See Article II, Section I, of the Constitution and Bylaws of the Faculty of Furman University.) The purpose of this policy is to formalize and make a matter of record past and current administrative practice, which is in accordance with Standard Six on the library of the Standards of the College Delegate Assembly of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. Teaching faculty ranks are not specified but equivalent ranks are. Library faculty also have rank on the library staff which does not necessarily coincide with their equivalent rank nor with their position title. Corresponding to the Constitution, professional library staff are herein referred to as library faculty. Library faculty ranks correspond to those faculty ranks established in the Guidelines of File 157.8.
B. Policy
Members of the library staff who hold the terminal degree in library and/or information science professional graduate degrees (e.g., M.S. in library science) or who hold subject area graduate degrees as qualifications for specialized branch library positions will have membership in the faculty and will hold library have equivalent faculty rank. The following are guidelines for determining equivalent rank and are not intended to be binding or inflexible. Corresponding ranks are specified below.
The academic rank of an individual library faculty member shall be determined according to academic preparation, professional competence and stature, and quality and duration of service.
C. Guidelines
1. The library faculty ranks may be broadly characterized as follows:
1. The equivalent rank of Professor may be assigned to a member of the library staff who holds the Ph.D. degree or its equivalent or a second master's degree and has substantial experience--at least eight years of full-time work in a fully accredited college or university library. The chief administrative officer of the library will ordinarily hold this rank and act as a department chair.
2. The equivalent rank of Associate Professor may be assigned to a member of the library staff who has the doctorate or its equivalent or a second master's degree and substantial experience--at least six years of full-time work in a fully accredited college or university library. A staff member holding one master's degree may, with very substantial experience--probably twelve years or more--qualify for this rank.
3. The equivalent rank of Assistant Professor may be assigned to a member of the library staff who has the doctorate or its equivalent or a second master's degree and little or no experience. A staff member holding one master's degree may qualify for this rank after substantial experience--probably eight years or more--in a fully accredited college or university library.
4. The equivalent rank of Instructor will be held by a staff member with the master's degree in library science and with less than substantial experience.
a. Assistant Librarian: Library faculty members who have earned the master’s in library science, information science or other appropriate terminal degree but who have limited library experience in an accredited senior college or university (normally fewer than six years) usually hold the rank of Assistant Librarian. This corresponds to the rank of Assistant Professor.
b. Associate Librarian: Library faculty members who hold the master’s in library science, information science or other appropriate terminal degree, who have significant full-time library experience at the rank of Assistant Librarian in an accredited senior college or university (normally six or more years), and whose achievements as librarians, scholars, and contributors to the work of the University indicate growing competence and stature usually hold the rank of Associate Librarian. This corresponds to the rank of Associate Professor.
c. Librarian: Library faculty members who hold the master’s in library science, information science or other appropriate terminal degree, who have extensive library experience at the rank of Associate Librarian in an accredited senior
college or university (normally seven or more years), and whose achievements as librarians, scholars, and contributors to the work of the University are consistent with its highest faculty rank usually hold the rank of Librarian. This corresponds to the rank of Professor.
Abbreviated Guidelines
Qualifications
Equivalent Faculty Rank Rank on Library Staff Degrees Experience
--------------------- ------------------------- --------------------------------- ----------------
Professor Librarian Doctorate, or equivalent or 2nd Master's 8 or more~ years
Associate Professor~ Librarian or Associate Librarian Doctorate, or equivalent or 2nd Master's 6-12 years
Assistant Professor Associate or Assistant Librarian Doctorate, or equivalent or 2nd Master's 0-8 or more years
Instructor Assistant Librarian Master's 0-8 years
2. The terminal degree in library and information science is the Master’s degree (ALA Policy Manual, 54.2.1). The designation of another degree as an appropriate terminal degree will be made by the Director of Libraries in consultation with the Provost and Executive Vice-President.
3. The rank of a new library faculty member will be determined by the Provost and Executive Vice-President in consultation with the Director of Libraries. Rank at appointment shall be clearly stated in the original contract. The rank of a continuing library faculty member will be determined through the promotion process (File 155.3).
4. For a fuller statement of the criteria and procedures which govern promotion and rank, see File 155.3.
5. Library faculty positions are non-tenure track.
155.3 Promotion of Library Faculty
Rationale
The proposed policy on promotion formalizes and codifies a process for the promotion of library faculty. There has been no formal process in place. Just as the faculty have a policy on promotion, we thought it necessary that the library faculty policy have a similar policy.
The promotion process will include a Library Promotion Committee (composed of library faculty) and a Promotion Review Panel (composed of faculty members of the Library Committee and the Director of Libraries). The library faculty choose not to go through the Faculty Status Committee (FSC) because membership on the FSC is only available to tenured full professors and our department will not have an opportunity to be represented on the FSC.
The Director of Libraries would serve on the Promotion Review Panel instead of the Library Promotion Committee because her/his knowledge would help the panel understand the range and type of work that library faculty perform.
Policy 155.3 Promotion of Library Faculty
A. Background
Promotion from one rank to another is intended to recognize and encourage professional achievement on the part of the library faculty member as well as to acknowledge significant service to the university. The judgment of library faculty peers and administrators is an important factor in decisions on promotion.
B. Policy
A library faculty member is eligible to apply for promotion to the next higher rank when that library faculty member's academic preparation, professional competence and stature, and quality and duration of service are consistent with the expectations of that rank as established in the Guidelines of File 155.5.
C. Guidelines
1. The various ranks used at Furman for library faculty and the academic requirements and expectation of performance and achievement for holding each rank are described in File 155.5.
2. Criteria used for promotion include the following:
? Preparation: degrees held, additional study;
? Experience: number of years, types of schools, level of work, related non- academic experience.
? Regularly used evaluation criteria ("see Evaluation of Library Faculty"): effective librarianship, professional activity, institutional service, devotion to duty, professional
ethics, university citizenship, and, as appropriate, community service.
3. An Assistant Librarian will normally spend at least six years at that rank before promotion to Associate Librarian, while an Associate Librarian will normally spend at least seven years at that rank before promotion to Librarian. However, time served in rank is not a sufficient condition for promotion to the next higher rank.
4. The procedures for decisions on promotion are as follows.
(a) By September, the Director of Libraries should assist any library faculty member who is eligible and would like to apply for promotion. The Director should not recommend to the candidate whether or not to apply for promotion; this should be the candidate’s decision. The candidate has the right to apply for promotion even if the Director would oppose that promotion.
(b) Candidates for promotion should prepare an up-to-date and full dossier which contains any information relevant to the promotion decision. The contents of a dossier will vary significantly according to the nature of the primary professional responsibilities of the library faculty member. At a minimum, the dossier should include a letter from the candidate explaining why promotion would be appropriate, a complete resume, and all of the faculty member's evaluations (both the self-report and the Director of Libraries' portion) while at the current rank. The dossier might also include, but is not limited to, representative material from information fluency sessions, sample catalog records, web publishing, presentations, publications, annual departmental reports, statistical information, grant involvement, collection development activities, and evidence of collaborative work with students and teaching faculty, as well as evidence of work-in-progress deemed appropriate by the candidate. The Director and/or the candidate may also solicit letters of extramural evaluation of the candidate.
(c) No later than mid-October, the Director should examine the file of each potential candidate for promotion and discuss with each candidate both possibilities and probabilities, with candid attention to strengths and weaknesses.
(d) The completed dossier should be submitted to the Library Promotion Committee and the Director should establish a timeline concerning the committee’s decision. The Library Promotion Committee consists of those library faculty members who already hold a rank higher than that held by the candidate, excluding the Director of Libraries. The committee selects its own chairperson. The candidate and all other persons who are involved should be informed of the timetable and schedule of procedures.
(e) Only those library faculty members who already hold a rank higher than that held by the candidate will sit on the Library Promotion Committee and be eligible to vote. Library faculty holding the same rank as or lower rank than the candidate may also be consulted at the discretion of the Library Promotion Committee. In the event that the Library Promotion Committee lacks eligible members, the Director of Libraries, in consultation with the Provost and Executive Vice-President, will ask members of the general faculty of appropriate rank and experience to serve on the Library Promotion Committee. The committee will consist of a minimum of three people.
(f) The candidate's complete dossier should be reviewed by each member of the Library Promotion Committee. In every instance, discussion should be free and open. After due consideration, a vote should be taken, recorded, and reported to the Library Promotion Review Panel. The Chair of the Library Promotion Committee should provide for the library departmental files a detailed statement of the procedures that have been followed and the reasons for the decisions that have been reached, including any opposition to the majority decision.
(g) The Library Promotion Review Panel will consist of the Director of Libraries, the Chair of the Library Committee and an additional member of the Library Committee appointed by the Chair of the Library Committee. In a situation in which the Chair of the Library Committee is not of sufficient rank relative to the promotion question, an alternative member of appropriate rank will be assigned the Chair’s responsibility. Should the Library Committee not have eligible members, members from the general faculty will be appointed after consultation by the Director of Libraries and Provost and Executive Vice-President. The Chair of the Library Committee, or designate, will serve as the Chair of the Library Promotion Review Panel. Individual letters from each member of the Library Promotion Committee should be made available to the Panel explaining the rationale for their votes.
(h) The candidate’s complete dossier should be reviewed by the Library Promotion Review Panel along with the vote and individual letters from the Library Promotion Committee. A vote should be taken, recorded and reported to the Provost and Executive Vice-President along with the recommendations of both the Library Promotion Review Panel and the Library Promotion Committee.
(i) The Chair of the Library Promotion Review Panel will notify the candidate of the recommendation of the Library Promotion Review Panel. If promotion is not recommended by the Panel and the candidate does not understand why, the candidate is encouraged to talk with the Director of Libraries or the Provost and Executive Vice-President or both.
(j) The President also receives a recommendation from the Provost and Executive Vice-President and subsequently makes a recommendation to the trustees. The library faculty member is notified by the Provost and Executive Vice-President when the trustees have acted upon the promotion.
(k) A librarian who completes the work for the appropriate terminal degree will be promoted to the rank of Assistant Librarian effective September 1 subsequent to the completion of the degree.
(l) Other promotions become effective September 1 following the decision.
5. Library faculty members are not eligible for tenure.
Dr. Dejong thanked all those who have participated in the preparation of these policies; including Dr. Janis Bandelin, Director of Libraries; Dr. Paul Rasmussen, Chair, and the members of the Status Committee; Dr. Paul Wagenknecht, Chair, and the members of the Library Committee; and Dr. Dan Sloughter who coordinated the AAUP forum. The policies are now ready for discussion.
Dr. Gil Einstein, Psychology, asked if it is typical for the evaluations of librarians to go to the Chief Academic Officer. Dr. Bandelin, responded that she knew of three libraries, one of which was Oberlin, where the librarians have faculty status with no tenure, who handled evaluations this way.
There was no further discussion and the policies will lie on the table until the May 12, 2008 meeting. They are open for further discussion at the April meeting.
IV. NEW BUSINESS
There was no new business.
V. ANNOUNCEMENTS
Dr. Lynne Shackleford, Chair, Implementation Task Force Steering Committee, announced that Dr. Lloyd Benson, History, will chair the ad hoc committee on the May Experience. The Steering Committee is working on a FAQ to release to students shortly after Easter. The Steering Committee is now focusing on preparing faculty for student advising. The new system has been named ARMS – Advising and Registration made simple. Faculty will be hearing more information soon. Dr. Shackleford then shared some of the dates planned for training sessions for faculty who advise students.
Dr. Lloyd Benson, Chair, Committee on the May Experience thanked the members of the May Experience subcommittee and noted their impressive amount of work. The new committee is still working on its charge. They will be reviewing courses informally before they are passed along to the Curriculum Committee and the Study Away office. There will be information programs and perhaps a workshop modeled after the FYW workshops. There are many ideas being looked at for May Experience classes such as reading classes, non-mandatory departmental honors, and study groups.
Dr. Fray summarized the report on the ad hoc Committee to Study Honors Programs and Senior-Year Experiences. The committee was appointed in March 2007, and chaired by Dr. Min-Ken Liao, Biology. The final report has been posted on Faculty Notices. The committee divided honors programs into two categories; programs for a select group of students and programs that target seniors. The committee concluded the former would not support Furman’s education mission. The committee felt that it had insufficient information to make a recommendation concerning senior honors programs. Since all faculty are heavily involved in preparing for the new curriculum, the committee recommended revisiting these programs in five years. The committee surveyed 32 departments and programs at Furman and found 18 that do require a senior capstone experience. The committee recommends that each department should take advantage of the new calendar and curriculum to consider the possibility of incorporating a common senior experience in its program.
Dr. Fray thanked Dr. Liao and the committee for their work on this study. He asked if there were any questions. There were no questions.
There being no further business the meeting was adjourned at 4:39 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Victoria Welborn
Faculty Recorder
**********************************************************************************************************************
Minutes
Furman University Faculty Meeting
February 6, 2008
Watkins Rooms, University Center
I. Establishment of Quorum; Call to Order
The meeting was called to order at 3:33; a quorum being present.
II. Consent Agenda (Posted)
Dr. Robert Fray informed the faculty that there have been two changes to the Consent Agenda since it was first posted. In the minutes from the November 13, 2007 faculty meeting, the Curriculum Committee report lists two courses, CHM 420 and CHM 430, as 4 credit courses. This was in the report of the Curriculum Committee but these courses should have been listed as 2 credit courses. This change was made during the meeting and they were approved as such. The posted minutes of the November 13, 2007 faculty meeting have been corrected – and that is what the faculty will be approving when they approve the Consent Agenda.
The original consent agenda contained the revision of Policy 111.8 Director of Admissions. This policy has been withdrawn form the Consent Agenda for additional work by the Policies and Procedures Committee.
Dr. Fray asked if anyone wished to remove an item from the Consent Agenda which consisted of the corrected minutes from the November 13, 2007 faculty meeting and Special Topics Courses. Since there were no such requests the Consent Agenda was approved by general consent.
The following Special Topics courses were approved.
BA 95: Ethical Decision-Making and Leadership in Business (4 credit course)
This course examines ethical leadership and the ethical aspects of individual and corporate decision making in business with a focus on recognizing, analyzing and responding to ethical issues, both personally and organizationally.
BIO 95: Freshwater Ecology (4 credit course)
A study of freshwater (FW) environments and the diversity of FW organisms. Topics include physical and chemical characteristics of FW environments, physiological adaptations of and ecological interactions among organisms, and interactions between humans and FW ecosystems.
BA 380: Integrated Process Improvement (4 credit course)
Emphasizes integration of Lean and Six Sigma methodologies to achieve process improvement by identifying, analyzing and formulating solutions to problems. Topics include lean thinking, six sigma quality, lean and six sigma tools, process mapping, project selection, introduction to design of experiments, and team dynamics.
ECN 95: Economy and Enterprise of Charleston (4 credit course)
This course focuses on the conditions, industries and infrastructure that shape the economy of Charleston and the coastal regions of South Carolina. The course has a significant experiential component, with students visiting an array of economic development, planning, governmental, and business organizations in the Charleston area.
HST 95: The Byzantine Empire & the Rise of Islam (4 credit course)
This course considers the "end of antiquity," the struggle between the East Roman Byzantine) and Sassanid Persian Empires that facilitated the rise of Islam. Sources will be drawn from the literature, coinage, inscriptions, and archaeological finds from the Roman/Byzantine, Persian, and Arab worlds.
PS 95: Law and Public Policy (4 credit course)
This course centers on an important question: Do court rulings effect significant change in public policy? We examine this question by investigating U.S. Supreme Court holdings and public policy in the following areas: education, death penalty, abortion, land preservation, access to justice, abortion and voting rights.
PSY 595/95: Psychoneuroimmunology (4 credit course)
This course will explore research linking psychological constructs such as stress, coping and social support, with the endocrine and immune systems, including implications regarding the onset and course of disease. Students will read primary sources and empirical articles to understand how knowledge is obtained in this area of research. Brief reports, mini-presentations and a research proposal will be required.
PSY 95: Seminar in Prospective Memory (4 credit course)
From managing household activities to coordinating social relations to regulating health-related needs, good prospective memory is critical to normal functioning. This seminar course examines current theories and methods related to remembering to perform actions in the future. Course assignments include extensive reading of the primary literature, student-led discussions, and a research proposal.
REL 95: Hebrew Bible Language and Translation 4 credit course)
This course will provide an orientation to the task of translating the Hebrew Bible into English, with the purpose of identifying central interpretive issues and evaluating contemporary English versions. Students, by developing an inductive knowledge of classical Hebrew grammar and vocabulary, will learn to read key passages with the use of a Hebrew-English Bible and translation tools. This translation process will serve as the groundwork for a critical discussion of biblical exegesis.
REL 95: Islam: Empire, Ideology and Religion (4 credit course)
This travel study course will explore the origins of Islam, as well as the political spread of the Muslim Empire from the 7th - 16th centuries. A particular emphasis will be placed on the role of Constantinople in early Muslim political discourse, as well as the conquest of 1453 CE and the subsequent refashioning of Constantinople into the pearl of the Ottoman empire.
REL 95: Jews and Christians under Empire (4 credit course)
A study of early Judaism and Christianity within the context of the religions of the Roman Empire, with special focus on the regions of Asia Minor, Greece and Rome.
SOC 380/95: Health Issues in Africa (4 credit course)
Investigation of morbidity, mortality, epidemics (HIV/AIDS, TB and malaria), cultural factor shaping ideas about health, illness, and healing along with an examination of the role of national health care delivery systems, international groups and NGOs in Africa. This course is part of a study-away program in Africa.
SOC 380/95: Social Issues and Globalization (4 credit course)
Examination of the sociological literature on globalization. Special attention will be paid to the impact of globalization on cultural factors (e.g. values and norms), social institutions (e.g. families, schools, mass media) and the social structure (e.g. increasing gap between the rich and the poor). Part of a study abroad program in Ireland and Northern Ireland.
III. REPORTS OF OFFICERS AND STANDING COMMITTEES
Dr. Fray reported that after consulting with Dr. Shirley Ritter, Chair of the Curriculum Committee, and Dr. Ken Abernethy, Chair of the Academic Policies Committee, he found that there were more courses slated for faculty approval than the faculty could seriously consider in one meeting. In addition, three significant policies dealing with the status of librarians could not be finalized for this meeting but will be ready in March. These policies could evoke extensive discussion,and they need to sit on the table for 30 days. Therefore, Dr. Fray is calling a meeting in March. The next faculty meeting will be March 10, 2008 at 3:30 p.m. in the Watkins Room.
Before beginning committee reports, Dr. Fray reminded faculty to stand when speaking and give their name and department in their initial statement. He also requested that speakers use the wireless microphones which will be brought to them.
Dr. Shirley Ritter, Chair, Curriculum Committee MOVED that the following catalog courses be approved.
ACC 340/46: Accounting Information Systems (4 credit course)
Examines and analyzes accounting systems utilizing transaction processing cycles and accounting-based information technology (IT) including e-commerce, electronic data processing, and continuous auditing. The course stresses the design, development, implementation, and auditing of accounting-based information systems.
ACC 350/48: International Accounting (4 credit course)
This course reviews the accounting issues unique to multinational corporations, and especially with respect to foreign operations. Survey of comparative accounting principles with major trading partners, problems in international performance evaluation, transfer pricing, and tax minimization issues for multinational corporations. Terminology, foreign exchange, and government regulations are considered.
ART 111: Visual Language I (2 credit course)
Basic principles and techniques of visual language as it applies to two-dimensional design. Emphasis will be placed on line, contrast, value and balance.
ART 206: Photography II (4 credit course)
This course will introduce color photography via digital imaging. Students will also explore advanced black-and-white darkroom techniques such as creating exhibition-quality fiber prints and alternative process print toning. Presentation issues and medium format cameras will be discussed.
ART 207: Printmaking 1 (2 credit course)
Introduction to screenprinting materials and techniques incorporating design, color, drawing and computer software. Problems in composition with emphasis on skills and approaches pertinent to the medium of screenprinting.
ART 230: Arts of Ancient World, I: Egypt, Near East, Greece (4 credit course)
Survey of the art and architecture of ancient Egypt from the Predynastic period through the New Kingdom, of the Minoan and Cycladic cultures, of ancient Mesopotamia, and of ancient Greece from the Mycenaean era through the Hellenistic era.
ART 231: Arts of the Ancient World, II: Etruscans and Rome (4 credit course)
Survey of the art and architecture of the ancient Etruscans and of Rome from the Republic through the Late Empire.
ART 236: Baroque and Rococo Art (4 credit course)
This course will consider art and architecture of the 17th and early 18th centuries in Western Europe.
ART 250: Modern Art, 1800-1960 (4 credit course)
This course will consider art and architecture from 1800-1960 in Western Europe and America.
ART 260: Art of Pre-Columbian Societies (4 credit course)
A survey of art and architecture of Pre-Columbian societies in Mesoamerica and South America. Consideration of style, iconography and aesthetics and of the functions of art and architecture within each culture.
ART 303: Photography III (2 credit course)
This course is a continuation of Photography II with an expectation for the development of a personal photographic vision/theme. The student is expected to create a cohesive body of photographic work for the duration of the semester.
ART 330/76: Art Theory and Criticism (4 credit course)
Introduction to the history of art theory from ancient Greece to the present and to the principles and practices of art criticism, with exercises in analytical and critical writing.
ART 400: Studio Seminar I (2 credit course)
This seminar is the first of two courses required of students who pursue an emphasis in studio art. Studio Seminar I focuses on the interpretation and criticism of contemporary art, with particular attention paid to the impact of social and political events on the visual arts. Also in this course, students will begin to develop a “subject” or idea that will serve as the basis for a concise body of artwork reflecting the studio major’s individual viewpoint and aesthetic voice. This course is required to be taken Fall semester of senior year.
ART 401: Studio Seminar II (2 credit course)
This seminar is the second of two courses required of students who pursue an emphasis in studio art. Studio Seminar II focuses on completing a cohesive body of work that is suitable for presentation in the Senior Exhibition. In addition to producing and selecting work for the exhibition, students develop artist statements, and are involved in all aspects of mounting a professional exhibition including publicity, installation of the artwork, and an oral presentation of ideas to the college community. Students meet weekly to critique work in progress. This course is required to be taken Spring semester of senior year.
AS 300: Asian Studies Colloquium (4 credit course)
The course allows Asian Studies majors to investigate “Asia” as a conceptual and geopolitical space and to critically investigate the discipline. Thus, majors will be well poised to continue with upper-level courses across the geographic and disciplinary distributions.
BA 230/30: Problem Solving and Decision Making for Management (4 credit course)
Study of decision-making and problem-solving processes in business. Evaluation of processes prone to failure and best practices that lead to effective or improved decisions. Incorporates the framing of business decisions, the causal analysis of problems, identification of alternatives, and the assessment of potential consequences of decision choices.
BA 312: The Sustainable Corporation (4 credit course)
Exposes students to business applications of sustainable development and corporate strategies based on economic, environmental and social criteria. Demonstrates how the corporate world plays a central role in making progress toward sustainability. Focuses on the inter-relatedness of business and natural systems, and how corporations use sustainability as a value driver.
CL 211: Classical Archaeology (4 credit course)
Illustrated lecture survey of the principal archaeological sites in ancient Greece and Italy. Study of the material culture, monumental remains, and the developing styles in art, architecture, and city planning. Introduction to the goals, methodologies, and achievements of archaeological excavation.
COM 121: Digital Communication (4 credit course)
Explores the use of digital, electronic media in the cultivation of democratic society. Students will gather information and learn to transmit that information through blogs, podcasts, video, and other digital media.
COM 141: Small Group Communication (4 credit course)
The investigation and application of theories of small group communication. The course takes a systemic view of small groups focusing on the communication competencies and communication processes involved in successful small group leadership and decision making.
COM 311: Rhetoric in the Ancient World (4 credit course)
Study of the history of rhetorical theory and practice from 500 BC to 500 AD. Primary focus on Greek and Roman rhetoric's relation to politics, law, religion, philosophy, liberal education and culture along with an examination of ancient rhetoric's influence on medieval rhetoric. Readings include selections from the sophists, Isocrates, Plato, Aristotle, Cicero, Quintilian, Tacitus, and Augustine.
COM 312: Rhetoric in the Modern World (4 credit course)
Study of the history of rhetorical theory and practice from the Renaissance to the present. Primary focus on the European tradition with special attention given to rhetoric’s relation to liberal education, politics, law, ethics, religion, myth, and ritual. Readings are from primary texts in the rhetorical tradition and may include selections from Petrarch, Salutati, Valla, Bracciolini, Cavalcanti, Ramus, Erasmus, Bacon, Hobbes, Lamy, Fenelon, Mackenzie, Locke, Vico, Monboddo, Blair, Campbell, Whately, Theremin, Nietzsche, Richards, Weaver, Burke, Perelman, Toulmin, Foucault, Habermas, and others.
COM 315/34: U.S. Public Address, 1630-1865 (4 credit course)
History and criticism of major U.S. speeches and rhetorical texts. Examination of a broad range of historical and rhetorical factors that influenced the construction and reception of speeches from the colonial period through the end of the Civil War. Focus on the political, religious, legal, and social exigencies to which the speeches responded, as well as the place of these rhetorical texts in U.S. public controversies.
COM 316/34: U.S. Public Address, 1866-Present (4 credit course)
History and criticism of major U.S. speeches and rhetorical texts. Examination of a broad range of historical and rhetorical factors that influenced the construction and reception of speeches from the end of the Civil War to the present. Focus on the political, religious, legal, and social exigencies to which the speeches responded, as well as the place of these rhetorical texts in U.S. public controversies.
COM 331: Media History (4 credit course)
This course examines the changing nature, structure, and function of mass media institutions in the United States and their historical relationships to society and culture from the founding of the republic to the end of the 20th century.
COM 335: Political Economy of Mass Media (4 credit course)
Examines the structure, regulation, economics, ownership, and technology of mass media, as well as the influence of these factors on global media content.
COM 355: Propaganda (4 credit course)
History, theory, and critque of propaganda. Case studies of propaganda related to a variety of discursive and social practices including speeches, public spectacles, media events, art, and film. The course will look at forms of state and non-governmental propaganda. Areas of likely focus will be American propaganda during WWI, Nazi and Fascist propaganda, and the Communist propaganda programs of the Soviet Union and China.
COM 411: African-American Rhetoric (4 credit course)
Study of the persuasive efforts, primarily oratorical, by African-Americans attempting to gain freedom, establish citizenship, and acquire equal rights. Emphasis on the discursive and nondiscursive rhetorical strategies of black identity, power, and community. Consideration of the rhetorical construction of ideologies of struggle, the external and internal debates characteristic of black social movements, and the rhetorical cultivation of black consciousness.
COM 412: International Women's Rhetoric (4 credit course)
This course analyzes speeches given by women in the international community about their conditions and their circumstances. Students explore the historical, socio-political, and cultural contexts of speeches by women to understand the rhetorical strategies and effects of their messages.
COM 414: Rhetoric of Emerging Democracies (4 credit course)
Study of the rhetoric of non-U.S. democratic movements. Focus on nonviolent movements and the rhetorical aspects of mixed violent and nonviolent movements of the twentieth and early twenty-first-century. Primary emphasis is on the speeches and other persuasive appeals by reformers, including the justifications for democratic reform, forms of protest, strategies of dissent, and confluence of democratic, anti-colonial, and nationalist themes. Also includes consideration of the African, Asian, Latin American, Near Eastern, and Eastern European cultural contexts out of which these rhetorical concerns and movements arise.
COM 421: Studies in Mass Communication (4 credit course)
Concentrated study in one area or theorist of mass communication. Course topics change with offerings by different faculty or in different terms. Potential topics include the global media intergration, the Internet as a public sphere, public journalism, the theories of Marshall McLuhan, Hollywood film genres, or Italian film. A specific example of a course: COM 421: Studies in Mass Communication: Italian Film 1945-1975: This course will explore the main films and directors of Italian cinema from 1945 to the 1975. The course's main emphasis will be placed on the ways that Italian history and culture are expressed, contemporary political and economic ideologies where represented, and the Italian psyche was explored through each directors unique cinematic contribution.
COM 435: Race, Gender, Class in the Media (4 credit hour)
This course examines how social perceptions of race, gender, and class are influenced by the mass media. Students explore the social connections between and among representations in print, film, electronic, digital media, institutional practices, and our experience of race, gender and class.
COM 460: Communication Ethics (4 credit course)
Exploration of the ethical questions raised by the practice of human communication. Study of the sources of ethical standards, methods of ethical criticism, and perspectives on the ethics of persuasion.
COM 470: Seminar in Rhetoric (4 credit course)
Intensive treatment of a major question, theme, or issue in the field of rhetoric.
COM 475: Seminar in Mass Communication (4 credit course)
Intensive treatment of a major question, theme, or issue in the field of mass communication.
COM 502: Directed Research in Communication (4 credit course)
Qualified students conduct research in a specific subject or theory of communication under the supervision of a faculty member. Students are required to do intensive reading in and research on their project, meet with their faculty supervisor on a regular basis, write an extensive paper, and give an oral presentation on their work. This course may be taken more than once but may not be counted toward the major more than once. It may not be taken pass/fail.
COM 503: Directed Individual Internship (4 credit course)
Directed individualized internship in the field of communication. Working closely with a faculty director, students study the communicative practices employed in such settings as a courtroom, television or radio station, newspaper, magazine, advocacy group, mediation center, or arts organization. Students are required to work approximately 210 hours at their internship site, meet regularly with their workplace and faculty advisors, and submit a log, portfolio, and academic paper relating to their internship work. This course may be taken only once and may not be taken pass/fail.
COM 509: Forensics (0 credit course)
The research, analysis, organization, and practice of debates and speeches for on-campus and intercollegiate debating and speaking competitions. Students will apply theories of argumentation as they develop cases for and against public issues. May be repeated a maximum of four times.
ECN 224: Law and Economics (4 credit course)
This course will explore the field of law and economics using standard microeconomic tools to examine torts, contract law, property law, and the theory and empirical evidence on criminal behavior.
ED 460: Critical Issues in Secondary Education (4 credit course)
Designed for senior-level secondary and K-12 language teacher candidates to be taken in conjunction with ED-350, ED-472, and appropriate methods courses. The course provides candidates with opportunities to examine significant issues in secondary schools including: classroom management techniques, reading and writing in the content area, and educational technology.
ENG 324: Women of Restoration Theater (4 credit course)
A study of the role of women—as dramatists, actresses, and theater managers—in the development of Restoration drama. The course will examine Restoration discussions of sexual and social identities, theories of performance, and the debates about the unseemliness and "wickedness" of women's participation in the theater. Our discussions will center on the close examination of several plays by Restoration women. Authors studied will include Behn, Centlivre, Cavendish, Pix, Manley, and others.
ENG 405: Studies in Gothic Literature (WGS Version) (4 credit course)
An examination of literary works in the gothic tradition by women writers—works that not only evoke fear, but also reveal the oppression of women. Among the issues these authors explore are arranged marriages, domestic imprisonment, lack of property rights, limited educational and vocational opportunities, and the physical, sexual, and psychological abuses of slavery.
ENG 425: Eighteenth-Century Literature of Travel (4 credit course)
A discussion of eighteenth-century narratives of travel and exploration as they relate to the development of English national, social, and political character. This course will consider the literal and metaphorical representations of travel by examining travel journals and diaries, adventure novels, humanist tracts, and trade pamphlets. The class will pay special attention to the ethnographic and geographic representations of extra-English territories, in addition to examining the encounter between the British traveler and the people and cultures with whom he or she comes into contact. Authors studied will include Behn, Equiano, Aubin, Defoe, Johnson, Montagu, Smollett, and others.
ENG 454: Caribbean Cosmopolitanisms: Literatures & Cultures (4 credit course)
The Caribbean has recently been theorized as a “repeating island,” and the “other America.” Through reading across Caribbean literatures, cultures, languages, and theories which organize the region, we will explore the ways in which cosmopolitanisms shape the literary and cultural productions of the Caribbean. If cosmopolitanism, “the definition of oneself through the world beyond one’s own origins,” is a crucial element of modernity, how might colonialism, imperialism, and orientalism be considered forms of European cosmopolitanism? And how might we understand Caribbean cultures’ employment of cosmopolitanisms as an intervention of liberal humanism, and, therefore as a conceptual frame of resistance? Caribbean cultures, like all cultures, have been forged in the crucible of hybridity and cultural fusion. We will pay attention to the ways this hybridity emerges against the persistence of a mythological cultural and national homogeneity. Texts may include William Shakespeare’s The Tempest, Aime Césaire’s A Tempest, Emily Bronte’s Jane Eyre, Jean Rhys’s Wide Sargasso Sea, V.S. Naipaul’s Mimic Men, Alejo Carpentier’s A Kingdom of This World, C.L.R. James’s Minty Alley, Edwidge Danticat’s The Farming of Bones, Derek Walcott’s The Star-Apple Kingdom, and Jamaica Kincaid’s Lucy. There will be a series of critical essays also required; those authors include theorists of the Caribbean such as Antonio Bénitez-Rojo, Édouard Glissant, Patricia Mohammed, and Frantz Fanon.
ENG 457: African-American Drama—Aldridge to Wilson (4 credit course)
This African-American Drama course is designed to encompass the history and development of African-American Drama in the United States from its origins to the present moment. The course is divided into three moments. Part One will explore the roots of African American drama, 1751-1890 with an examination of the early stage images of black subjects, the 19th century stage stereotypes of minstrelsy and Uncle Tom’s Cabin, and the relatively unknown initial achievements of the African Grove Theater, the stellar career of Ira Aldridge, and the early black playwrights. Part Two, the period from 1910-1959, will focus on the black theater of the Harlem Renaissance, the Little Theater Movement, and the Harlem Unit of the Federal Theater Project. Part Three, 1959-Present, which occupies the major portion of the semester, will be devoted to the study of major plays and playwrights from the watershed production of Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin In the Sun (1959) to the recent Pulitzer Prize production of Suzan Lori-Parks’s Topdog-Underdog (2001).
GER 336/41: The German Fairy Tale (4 credit course)
This course will investigate the origins of the German fairy tale, its contribution to German nationalism from Herder to the Grimm Brothers and its evolution into modern, more subversive forms of the fairy tale.
HST 201: The "Fall" of Rome (4 credit course)
Did the Roman Empire fall? An examination of the events and interpretations of the Late Roman Empire, including the rise of successor kingdoms in the West and the survival of the Eastern (Byzantine) Empire.
HST 260: Courtiers and Warriors: Narratives of Japan (4 credit course)
This course focuses on the multiple narratives of Japanese history by examining the gendered roles and ideals of courtiers and warriors. Concentrates on two interrelated themes: the historical reality and the construction of a mythical ideal—both positive and negative—in historical writings and popular culture in Japan, and exoticized elsewhere.
LAT 202: Intermediate Latin II (4 credit course)
Builds upon the proficiency developed through Latin 21. Review of morphology, grammar and syntax; reading of prose and poetry with the aim of developing proficiency in reading Latin and surveying Latin literature.
LAT 231/31: Literature of the Roman Republic (4 credit course)
Selected readings from authors like Plautus, Terence, Caesar, Cicero, Catullus, Lucretius, or other authors of the Roman Republic. Attention is paid to advanced grammar, rapid comprehension, and scholarly interpretation of the text. Course may be repeated once with a change of author.
LAT 232/32: Literature of the Augustan Age (4 credit course)
Selected readings from Vergil, Ovid, Horace, Livy, or other authors of the Augustan period. Attention is paid to advanced grammar, rapid comprehension, and scholarly interpretation of the text. Course may be repeated once with a change of author.
LAT 233/33: Literature of the Roman Empire (4 credit course)
Selected readings from Seneca, Lucan, Petronius, Tacitus, Juvenal, Apuleius, or other authors of the Roman Imperial period. Attention is paid to advanced grammar, rapid comprehension, and scholarly interpretation of the text.
LAT 234/34: Literature of the Late Antique and Medieval Period (4 credit course)
Selected readings from authors of the late antique and medieval periods of Latin literature. Attention is paid to advanced grammar, rapid comprehension, and the scholarly interpretation of the text.
LAT 235/35: Studies in Advanced Latin (4 credit course)
Selected readings from genres such as satire, letters, or drama. Attention is paid to advanced grammar, rapid comprehension, and scholarly interpretation of the text. Course may be repeated once with a change of author.
REL : History of Western European Christianity 1300-1650 (4 credit course)
A survey of the history of Christianity from the late Middle Ages through the Early Modern Period.
REL : Apocalypse: The End of the World as We Know It (4 credit course)
An examination of the apocalyptic genre, which will include its literary, cultural, and historical features as well as its theological motifs. The course may focus on apocalyptic texts in the Hebrew bible, the Christian scriptures, and non-canonical documents. We will also survey the appropriation of apocalyptic themes throughout history in artistic forms such as art, fiction, and film, with particular attention to how apocalyptic thinking continues to shape 21st century ways of being in the world.
REL : History of Western European Christianity 400-1300 (4 credit course)
A survey of the history of Christianity from Late Antiquity through the High Middle Ages. Emphasis on the interplay of religious and cultural change with special attention to institutional developments and to popular devotional practices.
Dr. Fray asked if there was any discussion. There was no discussion and the MOTION PASSED with a voice vote with no dissent.
Dr. Ritter MOVED that the following courses be approved as First Year Seminars. All are 4 credit courses.
FYW ART: Abortion: Issues and Controversies
Abortion touches core beliefs about the nature of the human person, human freedom and rights, human relationships, and the right ordering of society. This seminar will consider abortion through various disciplines in order to arrive at a deeper understanding of the issues and the controversies around this phenomenon.
FYS ART: American Art: Pushing Boundaries
This course will explore the concept of the American west as a place of ever-changing physical and intellectual boundaries as depicted in American art, and specifically to understand how the myths and realities of the American west shaped who we are as Americans. This course will combine digital slide lectures with discussion of secondary readings.
FYW BIO/PHL: Disease and Culture: How Disease Transforms Us
Taught jointly by a biologist and philosopher, this course will introduce students to the biological basis of numerous diseases (including AIDS, tuberculosis, syphilis, plague, malaria, Irish potato blight, etc.) and discuss their social, ethical, and cultural impacts.
FYS CL: Greece and Japan: Connections and Comparisons
This interdisciplinary seminar will compare Greek and Japanese myths and legends, investigate historical connections that emerge from their myths and legends, and examine how these myths and legends are variously appropriated and utilized in western civilization and in Japanese culture and history.
FYW CS: Secret Codes: Wars, Computing, and E-Commerce
This course will explore the history and practice of cryptography— the art and science of secret codes. One focus will be on the crucial importance of cryptography during the Second World War in helping the Allies break the German Enigma machine and the Japanese "Purple" code, and how these efforts were a major incentive for the development of the first computers. A second focus will be on the central role modern cryptography has played in enabling the development of commerce over the Internet, and how such commerce could be challenged by potential future developments in computing.
FYS CS: Global and Green Computing
Freshman seminar discussing the global aspects of computing. We will explore the world of information technology (IT) as it relates to cultural diversity and environmental sustainability around the world. We will examine how the IT industry must adapt its products to consumers in other countries. Software must be available in the users' own language and alphabet, and we will explore how people living in the various cultures will have different computing needs. In the third-world, some of these needs will be basic access to the technology and information on how to use it. We will look at how well developed and reliable the global Internet is. How does one access the Web from the bush?
We will investigate how various national governments deal with the global nature of IT. First, many products, both technological themselves as well as ordinary products simply bought via the Internet, are frequently produced in one country are sold to another. There may be restrictions on what can be imported and exported. Second, information itself knows no borders. Yet, because of cultural sensitivities, many governments feel the need to filter or censor the Internet. We will examine the technology that makes this possible, as well as the ramifications.
There is also an environmental facet to the course. Many countries have limited wealth and energy resources. We will look at the technology that is used to build smaller devices that will be cheaper, use less energy, and will take up less space in the landfill once its useful life is over.
FYW CS: Turing: Thinking Machines, Codes and Other Enigmas
This course explores the enigmatic life and prodigious work of Alan Turing (1912-1954). Specifically, it investigates Turing’s role in the invention of the modern computer, his pioneering work in the fields of artificial intelligence, game playing and the limitations of computing power, and his history-altering work in breaking the German Enigma code during World War II. The course regards Turing as a noteworthy, albeit little known, philosopher through a biographical study of his life and writings. His work in computer science is the portal to a variety of intriguing topics including the fundamental nature of human thought and whether or not it is “computable”, the existence of a soul, and the ethical role of a citizen in wartime. Turing’s life also motivates an investigation of society’s response to “otherness”, as reflected by his post-war anonymity and his suicide as the result of criminal prosecution for homosexuality. These topics are covered via readings by and about Turing, as well as consideration of works of theatre, film and literature that offer either biographical or fictionalized treatments of him.
FYW EES: Global Climate Change: Fact, Fiction, or Fantasy?
This course provides an insight into the scientific theory and data of global climate change. Students will analyze real data and compare their results to those cited in the novel A State of Fear by Michael Crichton. Ultimately, we will assess the roles of humans and natural variation in current climate change. We will also consider how knowledge and uncertainty influence climate policy.
FYS EES: Sustainability of Natural Resources
This course is intended to take an interdisciplinary scientific approach to addressing the issue of the sustainability of industrial, agricultural, and natural systems. The course covers a wide range of global environmental topics with an emphasis on sustainability.
FYW EES: To Walk the Land
The goal of this seminar is that you would come to know and enjoy the land, your local upstate environment, in a deeper way; to appreciate its natural and cultural history; to better understand our connection to and dependence on the land; and to communicate this new understanding effectively.
FYW ENG: Haunted Mansions
This course explores how the interior and exterior settings of a selection of Gothic novels, short stories, and films reflect the lives and complex psyches of the characters. Students will learn about such psychological disorders as dissociative identity disorder, post-partum depression, and schizophrenia and will discuss how family relationships and cultural pressures adversely affect the characters studied.
FYW ENG: Iconic Events: Easter 1916
The course will explore the cultural and literary significance of the Easter uprising in Ireland in 1916. The uprising and its consequences occasioned a considerable amount of writing in its immediate aftermath by well-known writers like Sean O'Casey and W. B. Yeats, and later by Iris Murdoch, Conor Cruise O'Brien, and others. The course will explore how "news," history, ideology, and critique are implicated not only in response to the events but in the planning (by Patrick Pearse and others) and execution of the uprising itself.
FYS ENG: Making Character: The Bildungsroman
This course introduces students to the Bildungsroman through key eighteenth- and nineteenth-century texts such as Rousseau's Emile, Goethe's Wilhelm Meister, Fielding's Tom Jones, Bronte's Jane Eyre, and Dickens's David Copperfield, as well as twentieth-century appropriations and transformations of the genre: Joyce's A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, Woolf's Jacob's Room, Swift's Waterland. The aim of the course is to investigate narrative and stylistic techniques of characterization in the Bildungsroman—to examine how character is "built" and subjects constructed in/through language—and so pursue more general questions about language and literature, representation and identity, knowledge and education. Excursions into poetry are also possible: Wordsworth's Prelude, Whitman's Leaves of Grass, Tennyson's In Memoriam.
FYW ENG: Mapping Arguments
This course is about the analysis of arguments. It will utilize a software system for constructing and visualizing arguments, based on the general theory of inference put forward by the American philosopher Charles Sanders Peirce. Peirce, the father of semiotics (the science of signs), classifies inferences as either deduction, induction, or abduction (hypothesis-making).
FYS ENG: Science Fiction: Approaches to Reality
An examination of science fiction literature, beginning with examples from eighteenth-century Europe, continuing with works from the Golden Age of Science Fiction, and ending with an examination of the speculative works of modern writers. The class will examine the various genres and sub-genres of science fiction, while considering their proposed "future" and "alien" worlds as extrapolations of our current societies and anxieties. Authors studied may include Verne, Clarke, Wells, Huxley, Asimov, Bradbury, P.K. Dick, Gibson, Gaiman, Mieville, and others.
FYW ENG/REL: Language, Argument, and Culture
A study of classical and modern principles of rhetoric and argument applied to contemporary linguistic issues such as information technology, multilingualism, language and gender, language and national identities, and the globalization of English.
FYS ENG/REL: Murder, Mystery, and Mayhem
A study of modern and contemporary murder mystery/detective narrative fiction. The course gives special attention to questions about the construction of stories/narratives and how that involves interpretations of the meaning of human experience.
FYW HST: Doing History in the 1950s
The purpose of this seminar is, first, to explore changing tastes in the field of history by comparing what was written in the previous generation to what is being written today, and second, to examine the Landmark Series, published in 185 volumes by Random House in New York City in the 1950s and early ‘60s. Students will read on topics, mostly of their choice, comparing books written in the U.S. in mid-century to the best of current scholarship on those same topics.
FYS HST: Furman University in the World
Examination of various aspects of American social, intellectual, and religious history with a specific focus on Furman University within that context. Students will develop understanding of the impact of important national and international events on Furman, and Furman's contributions to such events.
FYW IDC: Addiction and Recovery in American Culture
In this course we will interrogate (through reading, research, writing, and discussion) the literary and cultural impact of narratives about addiction and recovery in American culture.
FYW IDC: Revising a City: Rebuilding New Orleans
In this first year seminar we will study the literature, urban history, culture, music, politics, and art of New Orleans with a special emphasis on writing about the possibility of re-building the city post-Katrina.
FYS MLL: French Theater of the Absurd
Through close readings in the original French of a series of plays by Beckett, Ionesco, Genet and Tardieu, students will gain familiarity with the texts as well as an understanding of the historical and philosophical influences which gave rise to absurdist theater.
FYS MTH: The Art of Mathematics: Through Euclid's Eyes
In this course, the geometry in Euclid’s Elements takes center stage as we seek to understand the art of mathematics. Irrational numbers, unsolvable problems, number theory, and Archimedes’ Method also play important roles as we study the dramatic beginnings of mathematics in our quest.
FYS MTH: Combinatorial Game Theory
An introduction to the analysis of two-person combinatorial games. Topics to be covered include basic definitions and techniques of game analysis—symmetry, parity, game sums, Sprague-Grundy analysis and outcome classes.
FYS MTH : The Heart of Mathematics
This course explores great mathematical ideas in an effort to answer the question “What is mathematics?” Topics may vary but could include: Functions and one-to-one correspondence, mathematical proof, the study of the geometric properties of shape, chance and risk, number and counting, pattern and relationships. Historical contexts will be considered.
FYS MTH: The Mathematics of Games and Gambling
An introduction to probability and game theory, using card games, board games, and other casino type games for inspiration and motivation. Topics will be drawn from combinatorics, probability, expected value, Markov chains, graph theory and game theory. Specific games such as roulette, craps, poker, bridge, backgammon and keno will be analyzed.
FYS MTH: Problem-Solving Through Recreational Mathematics
Since at least the time of the Rhind papyrus, puzzles have been used to teach, convey, and motivate diverse areas of mathematics. In this course we will engage some of the most fascinating problems in recreational mathematics. Rather than be observers of mathematics, students in this seminar will be required to feel what it is like to do mathematics, to strain their minds and imaginations under the weight of a challenging problem. There are no mathematical prerequisites for this course, but students should be interested in studying mathematics.
FYW PHL: The Ethics of Sex
This FYW course will introduce students to a number of different approaches to understanding human sexuality and thinking about sexual ethics. The course will consider three broad understandings of human sexuality: (1) an evolutionary approach, (2) a "social constructionist" approach, and (3) a Christian theological approach. Among the elements of human sexuality that we will view through these three broad lenses are theories of the relationship between biological sex and gender, theories of the origin and nature of sexual orientation, and theories of the purpose(s) or function(s) of sexual activities. With these three broad perspectives in place, we will then consider a number of pressing issues in sexual ethics, such as the moral status of pornography, prostitution, masturbation, polygamy, and abortion, the rationale and value of marriage, whether there is any rational basis for privileging heterosexuality over homosexuality, and issues pertaining to intersexed and transgendered individuals. Students will address these particular ethical questions in dialogue with a number of philosophical and theological ethicists.
FYW PHY: How Science Shapes Our View of the World
While some of the topics—Newtonian mechanics, relativity, and quantum theory—are taught in physics major sequence courses, the emphasis in the seminar will be on the ways in which these and other scientific developments have shaped the worldview of western culture since the time of Aristotle. Since the emphasis is on philosophical and historical considerations, rather than on science content, there should be no problem with this course duplicating an existing physics course.
FYS PHY: Humans, Physics and the Natural Universe
A survey of the physical universe from the human perspective as seen through the lens of the scientific method. Particular attention is devoted to the role that science has played in society. Topics include the nature of science and theory, the fundamental interactions, the industrial revolution, nuclear weapons, quantum theory, cosmology, and the anthropic principle.
FYS PHY: The Energy Future of America
This course is a survey of five possible energy alternatives to fossil fuels that could be used to power our society. The viability and place in an overall energy strategy is considered for bio-fuels, solar energy, nuclear, wind and geo-thermal sources. Special attention is paid to the energy out put and energy cost of production
FYS PHY: Introducing Quantum Mechanics
This course will treat the historical setting of Newtonian mechanics, as a back drop to that most fertile period ending in 1927 with new views of the the world of physics—quantum mechanics and relativity. Elements of the quantum theory will be studied, and present issues and possible future applications will be discussed.
FYS PSY: What is Normal?
Humans can display a wide variety of behaviors that reflect a range of thoughts and emotions. Some of these behaviors, thoughts and feelings are considered “normal” while others are considered “abnormal.” Where do those labels come from? What criteria are used to distinguish normal behavior from abnormal behavior? Who selected those criteria? This course will explore historical and modern examples of mental disorder in order to better understand the biological and socio-cultural forces behind the label “abnormal.”
FYW REL: Are You Saved? Notions of Christian Conversion
This course will explore notions of Christian conversion and initiation as it is understood in the first four centuries of the Christian faith. Special attention will be given to the role of catechuemante as a means of initiation, including an exploration of rites, rituals, and processes involved in Christian conversion. Further, the course will provide students an opportunity to compare and contrast early notions of Christian initiation and conversion with selected contemporary understandings of these issues. The applicability of earlier practices of initiation will be considered with respect to their relevance in the contemporary culture of North America.
FYS REL: Go to Hell: Exclusion and Damnation
This seminar will explore the theologies of exclusion among the Abrahamic religious traditions. Focusing on theological voices within Jewish, Christian, and Muslim tradition, this seminar seeks to study the language and constructedness of exclusion and damnation.
FYW REL: Hunting Witches in Early Modern Europe
During the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries around 100,000 witches were executed in Europe and the Americas. This course explores the dynamic of the European witch hunt, set against the backdrop of the larger cultural transformations of Early Modern Europe: the Scientific Revolution, changes in the status and role of women, the attacks on folk religion and traditional healing. While our focus will be witchcraft in Europe and Colonial America, we will compare the European experience with the role of witchcraft in other cultures.
FYW REL: Magic and Religion
This course focuses on how people from cultures around the world conceptualize the spiritual realm, and how such conceptualizations are shaped by the values and social relations of the cultures in which they occur. Of particular concern is the relationship between magic and religion. We will examine the diverse ways in which humans attempt to communicate and intervene with the divine as well as ritually mark crucial moments such as birth, death, illness, and change.
FYW REL: Sex and the New Testament
Sex and the New Testament is a writing seminar that will investigate through research and writing what the New Testament has to say about sex, why it says what it does, and what that might mean for contemporary society.
FYW SOC: What to Eat? Social Implications of Food & Farming
This course will examine the sociology of food systems in the United States, investigating the food chains that bring us our food, and their ecological and social implications. Industrial agriculture, corporate control of the food supply, fast food, and resistance to these problems will be covered.
Dr. Erik Ching, History, asked about the class FYW ART: Abortion: Issues and Controversies. He stated that it strikes him odd that an art professor is teaching this delicate subject matter, which is not an art-based course. Dr. Ching added that having this class before the faculty is an opportunity for self-evaluation about what criteria is used to determine the true qualifications of a faculty member to teach a specific course.
Dr. Ritter said she could provide a partial answer. The Curriculum Committee looked at content and the quite extensive reading list, and concluded that the course and the instructor met the criteria.
Dr. Stanley Crowe, English, added that the rationale of the FYS’s was to give faculty members an opportunity to stretch beyond their fields into other areas. This course does not particularly focus on science issues, but on philosophy, psychology and ethics; and the FYS Oversight Committee felt the person who was proposing was qualified to teach the course in the way it was structured.
Dr. Ching asked what criteria did the committee used to make this determination. Dr. Crowe said the committee looked at whole proposal and in their judgment the class was appropriate for a FYS. Dr. Ching replied that this was a vague answer and asked whether someone without graduate training in ethics is qualified to teach this very sensitive issue to the young people coming to Furman.
Dr. Carolyn Watson, Art, identified herself as the proposer of the course. She stated that she has a long-standing interest in this issue and has read widely concerning abortion. She holds an undergraduate degree in biology, and she has consulted with faculty in different departments and has incorporated their suggestions into the extensive reading list. She has a passionate interest in the subject. Dr. Watson hoped she was not being subjected to criteria that others were not being subjected to.
Dr. Ching said that he was not going to move for an amendment but he did ask the faculty to notice the dynamic which was in play, and if this dynamic were to proliferate across the curriculum and the CGAs there would be a problem.
Dr. Crowe stated that the FYS committee understands they can always ask questions concerning a course. In this case the proposer was on the committee so there was a great deal of discussion concerning this course. There are often colleagues on the committee and there is a sense of who the committee can trust and this does have an influence on the committee’s judgment. The committee does not want to get narrowly fixated on qualifications, as not all the faculty who will be teaching writing in the FYS’s are trained in the teaching of writing.
Dr. Lorraine Dejong, Education, asked why the course is labeled ART. Dr. Ritter said she does it to help herself. Dr. Brent Nelsen added that he tags the courses as to department of origin, and there will be a database linkage in order to provide statistical reports to departments. However, for student consumption FYS’s will have no departmental designation. All FYS’s will begin with “1” and have four digits. Course numbers will be assigned in the order of approval.
Dr. Watson asked to remind faculty that as an art historian she was trained on medieval art, but learned Greek art and art criticism on her own.
Dr. Alfons Teipen, Religion, echoed the concerns of Dr. Ching, and asked for the FYS committee to keep in mind that FYS’s do not go through a departmental quality control process.
Dr. Robin Visel, English, expressed a concern about politics and stated that she would want to be assured that someone who has a public pro-life position would train students to all sides of the issue as freshmen choosing seminars might not know the stance of an instructor. Dr. Visel questioned Dr. Watson as to how she would treat this political issue. Dr. Watkins responded that she would hope that the same question would be asked of all. She stated that she can distance herself from her beliefs and has a track record of doing so. She would teach this course as she does art criticism; presenting views she does not agree with, but not making any attempts to hide her opinions.
Dr. Ching stated that Dr. Watson should have never had to answer a question related to her beliefs and he did not want to be associated with that question. His concern has to do with courses which are approved outside of a department as our students and their parents have high demands.
Dr. Crowe recalled that FYS’s were designed to be a site of mutual exploration for faculty and students and would not necessarily involve high degrees of self expertise, as faculty may learn as well as students. The fact that this was a little bit loose and wooly was a large part about what was exciting about the seminars.
Dr. David Gandolfo, Philosophy, commented that the course was not a science course but a philosophy course with some psychology. He understood Dr. Crowe’s point as to the purpose of the course to bring students into culture of how to do university-level writing and research, but it might be helpful with seminars outside their discipline to have a reading list to inspire confidence. Dr. Ritter responded that the reading lists for proposed courses are available on the course proposal site.
Dr. Ben Storey, Political Science, said he appreciated the spirit and was not clear as to the criteria of FYS’s as they are new. The CRC document was approved and it states that faculty would not be confined to their areas of expertise. We can agree to define standards, but academic expertise can not be the standard.
The MOTION PASSED in a voice vote with no dissension.
Dr. Ken Abernethy, Chair ,Academic Policies Committee, MOVED the following courses be approved for the credits as specified. Dr. Fray informed the faculty that we will consider the report using the Consideration by Paragraph procedure, as we have done for the past two faculty meetings.
Recommended for Visual and Performing Arts (within Core: Human Cultures category) credit:
IDS 230
Investigation of certain ideas and how they manifest themselves in drama, visual arts, and music.
Dr. Fray asked if there was any discussion on courses recommended for Visual and Performing Arts (within Core: Human Cultures category) credit. There was no discussion.
Recommended for Natural World (within Core: Empirical Studies category) credit:
BIO 102: Environmental Biology
Study of the basic principles common to living organisms, with emphasis on environmental biology. Designed for non-science majors. Topics include ecology, evolution, biodiversity, and environmental issues, plus a synopsis of cellular biology, genetics, and physiology. Students may not receive credit for both BIO-101 and BIO-102. BIO-102 may not be enrolled after successful completion of BIO-11/111.
BIO 432: Field Studies in Biology
Travel study course focusing on floral and faunal compositions and analysis of species interactions in a variety of habitats and ecological communities not found in South Carolina. May involve camping, hiking and travel by canoe, raft or boat in areas such as New England, Rocky Mountains, desert Southwest, Everglades, or foreign countries. Approved for 2008 offering only.
FYS: Introducing Quantum Mechanics
This course will treat the historical setting of Newtonian mechanics, as a back drop to that most fertile period ending in 1927 with new views of the world of physics—quantum mechanics and relativity. Elements of the quantum theory will be studied, and present issues and possible future applications will be discussed. (Bill Brantley)
FYS: The Energy Future of America
This course is a survey of five possible energy alternatives to fossil fuels that could be used to power our society. The viability and place in an overall energy strategy is considered for bio-fuels, solar energy, nuclear, wind and geo-thermal sources. Special attention is paid to the energy output and energy cost of production. (Bill Brantley)
FYS: Humans, Physics and the Natural Universe
A survey of the physical universe from the human perspective as seen through the lens of the scientific method. Particular attention is devoted to the role that science has played in society. Topics include the nature of science and theory, the fundamental interactions, the industrial revolution, nuclear weapons, quantum theory, cosmology, and the anthropic principle. (David Turner)
FYS: How Science Shapes our View of the World
A worldview may be described as a coherent, consistent, interlocking system of beliefs about what the world is like and why things happen as they do. From about 300 BC to about 1600 AD, inhabitants of the western world held a worldview derived from the natural philosophy of Aristotle. But in the 16th and 17th centuries, the work of Copernicus, Galileo, Kepler, Descartes, and Newton caused the dismantling of the Aristotelian worldview. The Newtonian worldview took its place: at least in the physical sciences, western thinkers took the mechanistic, materialistic, reductionistic, and deterministic view that “the world equals matter in motion.” This is the worldview that most of us have grown up with; this is the “air we breathe.” But the science of the last century and a half – particularly the theories of evolution, relativity and quantum mechanics – has raised significant challenges to that Newtonian worldview, just as Newtonian science challenged the Aristotelian worldview. Through discussion of articles, stories, plays, poems, and programs from the PBS series “Nova,” we will look for evidence of the Newtonian worldview, and contrasting worldviews, in modern western society. (Susan D’Amato)
FYW: Global Climate Change: Fact, Fiction, or Fantasy
This course provides an insight into the scientific theory and data of global climate change. Students will analyze real data and compare their results to those cited in the novel A State of Fear by Michael Crichton. Ultimately, we will assess the roles of humans and natural variation in current climate change. We will also consider how knowledge and uncertainty influence climate policy. (Brannon Andersen)
FYW: Disease and Culture: How Disease Transforms Us
Taught jointly by a biologist and philosopher, this course will introduce students to the biological basis of numerous diseases (including AIDS, tuberculosis, syphilis, plague, malaria, Irish potato blight, etc.) and discuss their social, ethical, and cultural impacts. (Min-Ken Liao and Sarah Worth)
FYW: Evaluating Scientific Claims in the Media
Students will learn the skills necessary to read scientific claims carefully, find relevant information in a variety of sources, and develop an informed opinion in writing about the veracity of the original claim. Students will test claims empirically in laboratory sessions. (Eli Hestermann)
Dr. Fray asked if there was any discussion on courses recommended for Natural World (within Core: Empirical Studies category) credit. There was no discussion.
Recommended for Global Awareness: Humans and Their Natural Environment credit:
BIO 102: Environmental Biology
Study of the basic principles common to living organisms, with emphasis on environmental biology. Designed for non-science majors. Topics include ecology, evolution, biodiversity, and environmental issues, plus a synopsis of cellular biology, genetics, and physiology. Students may not receive credit for both BIO-101 and BIO-102. BIO-102 may not be enrolled after successful completion of BIO-11/111.
BIO 401: Applied Plant Science
Introduction to plant biology as it pertains to human society. Topics include life cycles, structure/function relationships, and uses of plants in society. Emphasis on medicinally and economically important plants. Lab exercises reflect the importance of plants as sources of food and medicine.
BIO 432: Field Studies in Biology
Travel-study course focusing on floral and faunal compositions and analysis of species interactions in a variety of habitats and ecological communities not found in South Carolina. May involve camping, hiking and travel by canoe, raft or boat in areas such as New England, Rocky Mountains, desert Southwest, Everglades, or foreign countries. Approved for 2008 offering only.
FYS: Sustainability of Natural Resources
This course is intended to take an interdisciplinary scientific approach to addressing the issue of the sustainability of industrial, agricultural, and natural systems. The course covers a wide range of global environmental topics with an emphasis on sustainability. (Weston Dripps)
FYW: Global Climate Change: Fact, Fiction, or Fantasy
This course provides an insight into the scientific theory and data of global climate change. Students will analyze real data and compare their results to those cited in the novel A State of Fear by Michael Crichton. Ultimately, we will assess the roles of humans and natural variation in current climate change. We will also consider how knowledge and uncertainty influence climate policy. (Brannon Andersen)
FYW: What to Eat? Social Implications of Food and Farming
This course will examine the sociology of food systems in the United States, investigating the food chains that bring us our food, and their ecological and social implications. Industrial agriculture, corporate control of the food supply, fast food, and resistance to these problems will be covered. (Susan Munkres)
FYW: To Walk the Land
The goal of this seminar is that you would come to know and enjoy the land, your local upstate environment, in a deeper way; to appreciate its natural and cultural history; to better understand our connection to and dependence on the land; and to communicate this new understanding effectively. (Bill Ranson)
FYW: Engaging Nature
From earliest times, writers of literature have been interested in aspects of human experience that have involved forces that seem to be beyond human control. In this course, we will read and write about texts in which these forces are associated with “Nature.” The texts, all written within the last forty years, will provide the focus of class discussion, and there will be a written assignment required on each text. The aim of the course is to improve your writing and thinking by encouraging you to construct persuasive arguments using a variety of organizational techniques. A good deal of time will be spent, both in small group meetings and in individual conferences, on problems of writing, from matters of punctuation and sentence structure to the organization of paragraphs and whole essays. We will focus particularly on problems that arise from your own writing— i.e. I am not interested in trying to teach the “rules” of grammar and writing as an abstract exercise apart from your own practice. (Stan Crowe)
FYW: Global Water Issues
The course is intended to introduce students to and foster discussion on the many scientific and political facets of the world’s leading global water issues. The course covers a wide range of water resource and water policy topics. (Weston Dripps)
Dr. Fray asked if there was any discussion on the courses recommended for Global Awareness: Humans and Their Natural Environment credit. There was no discussion.
Recommended for Foreign Language credit:
GRK 111: Elementary Greek I
Introduction to the fundamentals of fifth century Attic Greek. Topics include pronunciation, basic vocabulary, grammar and syntax, practice in reading basic Greek. The graded reading material is adapted from classical texts and cultivates an appreciation of Greek literature and culture.
GRK 120: Elementary Greek II
Continuation of GRK-11. Topics include continued study of vocabulary, grammar and syntax; reading more difficult Greek; gaining greater appreciation of Greek literature and culture.
GRK 201: Intermediate Greek
Reading and interpretation of writings from the Classical Greek authors and the Greek New Testament. Topics include new vocabulary, review of basic grammar and introduction of new grammar, guidance in translation and comprehension of moderately difficult Greek.
LAT 111: Elementary Latin I
Introduction to the fundamentals of classical Latin. Topics include pronunciation, basic vocabulary, grammar and syntax, practice in reading basic Latin. The graded reading material is adapted from classical texts and cultivates an appreciation of Latin literature and culture.
LAT 112: Elementary Latin II
Continuation of LAT-11. Topics include continued study of vocabulary, grammar and syntax; reading more difficult Latin; gaining greater appreciation of Latin literature and culture.
LAT 115: Intensive Elementary Latin
Intensive course in the basic skills leading to an appropriate use of the language and an appreciation of the culture and literature of ancient Rome. Topics include review of pronunciation, basic vocabulary and grammar, introduction to more advanced grammar and syntax, etymology, and practice in reading basic Latin. Enrollment by placement only.
LAT 202: Intermediate Latin II
Builds upon the proficiency developed through Latin 21. Review of morphology, grammar and syntax; reading of prose and poetry with the aim of developing proficiency in reading Latin and surveying Latin literature.
Dr. Fray asked if there was any discussion on the courses recommended for Foreign Language credit. There was no discussion.
Recommended for Mathematical and Formal Reasoning credit:
ECN 225: Statistics
An introductory level course in applied probability and statistics. Topics include tabular and graphical presentation of data; descriptive measures of central tendency, dispersion, and location; probability and probability distributions (discrete and continuous); inferential statistics and hypothesis testing; bivariate analysis (qualitative and quantitative), including cross tabulation, covariance, correlation, and simple linear regression. Students will apply statistical concepts to real world situations.
FYS: Art of Mathematics: Through Euclid’s Eyes
In this course, the geometry in Euclid’s Elements takes center stage as we seek to understand the art of mathematics. Irrational numbers, unsolvable problems, number theory, and Archimedes’ Method also play important roles as we study the dramatic beginnings of mathematics in our quest. (John Poole)
FYS: The Mathematics of Games and Gambling
An introduction to probability and game theory, using card games, board games, and other casino-type games for inspiration and motivation. Topics will be drawn from combinatorics, probability, expected value, Markov chains, graph theory and game theory. Specific games such as roulette, craps, poker, bridge, backgammon and keno will be analyzed. (Mark Woodard)
FYS: Problem-Solving Through Recreational Mathematics
Since at least the time of the Rhind papyrus, puzzles have been used to teach, convey, and motivate diverse areas of mathematics. In this course we will engage some of the most fascinating problems in recreational mathematics. Rather than be observers of mathematics, students in this seminar will be required to feel what it is like to do mathematics, to strain their minds and imaginations under the weight of a challenging problem. There are no mathematical prerequisites for this course, but students should be interested in studying mathematics. (Tom Lewis)
FYS: Combinatorial Game Theory
An introduction to the analysis of two-person combinatorial games. Topics to be covered include basic definitions and techniques of game analysis - symmetry, parity, game sums, Sprague-Grundy analysis and outcome classes. (Doug Rall)
FYS: The Heart of Mathematics
This course explores great mathematical ideas in an effort to answer the question “What is mathematics?” Topics may vary but could include: Functions and one-to-one correspondence, mathematical proof, the study of the geometric properties of shape, chance and risk, number and counting, pattern and relationships. Historical contexts will be considered. (Kevin Hutson)
Dr. Fray asked if there was any discussion on the courses recommended for Mathematical and Formal Reasoning credit.
Dr. Marty Cook, Mathematics, proposed an amendment that ECN 225 not be included in the courses approved for Mathematical and Formal Reasoning credit. The motion was seconded. Dr. Cook expressed his reluctance in making his motion in light of the volume of work the APC committee is doing preventing the committee from consulting the CRC document, and because of the past parallelism of ECN 25 and MTH 30. In the past both MTH 30 and ECN 25 had the prerequisite that students had satisfied their mathematics GER (general education requirement). These pre-requisites provided students with a full exposure to math behavior before they enrolled in a course that had a narrow focus. Dr. Cook stated that the proposal to move ECN 225 to a core credit course offers the opportunity for students to fulfill their mathematics requirement with only a narrowly-focused course. Dr. Cook stated that this is not faithful to the conversations held while discussing the curriculum, and while ECN 225 is a wonderful course and essential to the curriculum, he recommends eliminating it as a core mathematics course to protect the integrity of the curriculum.
Dr. Ken Abernathy responded that the APC did revisit the CRC documents while discussing this course under the guidance of Dr. John Harris, Mathematics, and devoted almost an entire meeting discussing whether this course met the criteria for a course fulfilling the mathematical core requirement. As a member of the CRC, Dr. Harris was able to relate the CRC document and past discussions to the proposed course. After extended discussions the APC concluded the course did meet the criteria.
Dr. Jean Horney, Economics, stated that she was reluctant to support the amendment. She and her partner spent a great deal of time developing the course which applies mathematics to business and economics. It is not a narrowly-focused course as coverage includes games and gaming as probability, deals with implications, broad philosophy and the criteria of formal reasoning. The course developers answered the questions from the committee quite well. Dr. Horney stated that students who choose this course for their math requirement will benefit greatly.
The MOTION for the amendment was DEFEATED in a voice vote.
Recommended for Global Awareness: World Cultures credit:
ANT 344: Anthropology of Religion
This course examines religion as a cultural phenomenon and takes a comparative and holistic perspective on the beliefs and practices people use to make sense of this and other worlds, their places within them, and to solve pressing, life and death problems. Topics considered may include myth and symbols; rituals and religious specialists; altered states of consciousness and healing; witchcraft, divination, and magic; ghosts, souls, and ancestors; revitalization and millenial movements; and globalization and transnational change.
CHN 266: Chinese Language House II: Contemporary Issues
Using primarily media such as newspapers, magazines (accessible through the Internet), film, TV and textbooks, students living in the language house meet regularly to discuss topics concerning Chinese culture and society. In relation to these discussions, they are also given language practicum assignments (such as to interview Chinese speakers on given topics). They keep a journal throughout the year and present a project at the conclusion of the course orally and in writing. The target language is used for all discussions and written work.
JPN 235: Classical Japanese Literature
Survey of the development of classical Japanese literature from the seventh century to 1858, when Japan opened its doors to the West. Students read representative texts in English translation in various genres from various periods.
JPN 245: Modern Japanese Literature
Survey of the development of modern Japanese literature from 1858, when Japan opened its doors to the west, to the present. Students read representative texts in English translation by major writers in various genres.
JPN 266: Japanese Language House II
Using primarily media such as newspapers, magazines (accessible through the Internet), film, and TV, students living in the language houses meet regularly to discuss current topics of concern to the societies under study. They keep a journal throughout the year and present a project at the conclusion of the course in oral and written form. The target language is used for all discussions and written work.
MLL 245: African Literature
Study of the development of African literature from the early 1900s to the present. The course will focus on the representation of society, culture and peoples of African ancestry, the tumultuous changes resulting from colonial and neocolonial influences, the question of language vis-à-vis African creative writing, and the emergence of national and transnational identities. Authors considered may include Achebe, Mariama Bâ, Emecheta, Bessie Head, Ngugi, Oyono, Sembene, and newly established writers.
PS 47: Politics of Asia
Examination of one of the world's most dynamic regions. Common issues facing disparate regimes will be explored through case studies from Communist regimes, military and transitional systems, and restricted democracies. The region's changing international role and influence will be discussed.
SPN 350: Foreign Studies in Spanish-American Culture
Through lectures, literary readings, and visits to areas of cultural interest, students familiarize themselves with contemporary Spanish-American life, as well as with the contributions of indigenous cultures to contemporary Spanish-American society. Research on a cultural topic will culminate in a written project.
Dr. Fray asked if there was any discussion on the courses recommended for Global Awareness: World Cultures credit. Dr. Erik Ching asked if the phrase “Foreign Study” could be changed to “Study Away” in SPN 350 to match the name of the office. This was accepted as an editorial change.
Recommended for Analysis of Texts (within Core: Human Cultures category) credit:
CL 120: Mythology
Greek and Roman mythology. Topics include definitions of myth, theory and interpretation of myth, the literary, historical and cultural context of Greek and Roman myths, and the principal ancient sources.
CL 230: Reading Greek Literature
Survey in English translation of Classical Greek literature, including the Homeric epic poems, Greek tragedy and comedy, and other significant genres.
CL 231: Reading Latin Literature
Survey in English translation of Latin literature. Topics include a general survey of Latin literature and the concentrated reading and interpretation of selected works by authors such as Plautus, Caesar, Cicero, Catullus, Horace, Vergil, Livy, Seneca, and others.
ENG 203: American Passages
From physical journeys across the Atlantic Ocean, into the wilderness, down the Mississippi River, to interior journeys of reflection, epiphany, and self-discovery, this course will examine a selection of American literature from pre-eighteenth century to the present. Students will encounter a variety of authors, genres, and themes in exploring such issues as American landscapes, spirituality, cultural diversity, and resistance to oppression.
ENG 304: Restoration and 18th Century English Literature
A survey of English literature and culture from the Restoration of Charles II in 1660 to the creation of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland in 1801. The course will consider a wide range of literary genres such as Restoration drama, satiric poetry, the travel narrative, the periodical essay, and the novel. The course will also examine the historical, social, political, and intellectual backgrounds for these texts, such as the declining influence of court culture, the construction of a colonial market economy, discourses of slavery and abolition, the reevaluation of traditional class hierarchies, and considerations of gender and marriage. Authors studied will include Rochester, Wycherley, Behn, Haywood, Aubin, Defoe, Pope, Swift, Fielding, Equiano, and others.
ENG 324: Women of Restoration Theater
A study of the role of women—as dramatists, actresses, and theater managers—in the development of Restoration drama. The course will examine Restoration discussions of sexual and social identities, theories of performance, and the debates about the unseemliness and "wickedness" of women's participation in the theater. Our discussions will center on the close examination of several plays by Restoration women. Authors studied will include Behn, Centlivre, Cavendish, Pix, Manley, and others.
ENG 405A: Studies in Gothic Literature
An examination of literary works in the gothic tradition by women writers—works that not only evoke fear, but also reveal the oppression of women. Among the issues these authors explore are arranged marriages, domestic imprisonment, lack of property rights, limited educational and vocational opportunities, and the physical, sexual, and psychological abuses of slavery.
ENG 425: Eighteenth Century Literature of Travel
A discussion of eighteenth-century narratives of travel and exploration as they relate to the development of English national, social, and political character. This course will consider the literal and metaphorical representations of travel by examining travel journals and diaries, adventure novels, humanist tracts, and trade pamphlets. The class will pay special attention to the ethnographic and geographic representations of extra-English territories, in addition to examining the encounter between the British traveler and the people and cultures with whom he or she comes into contact. Authors studied will include Behn, Equiano, Aubin, Defoe, Johnson, Montagu, Smollett, and others.
ENG 453: African-American Literature
In this course, we will read traditional Black Atlantic 18th and 19th century slave narratives and examples from the 20th century "slave novel genre," otherwise known as the "neo-slave narrative." Taking into consideration the challenges of formal genre presented by the slave novel's reinvention of the traditional slave narrative, we will explore questions such as the following: how to conceptualize history, is it possible to know the past, and, if so, through what means is such knowledge produced? These texts engage questions as the critique of historiographies, ideologies, and models of interpretation that subjected African American cultural production and black identity to, at best, second-class citizenship and, more disastrously, less than human status; the relation between memory, writing, and historical representation; and the reproduction of hierarchical categories in the construction of racial, sexual, and gender differences. Texts may include Douglass, Equiano, Prince, Jacobs, Bradley, Morrison, G. Jones, E. Jones, and Caryl Phillips.
ENG 454: Caribbean Cosmopolitans, Literatures, and Cultures
The Caribbean has recently been theorized as a “repeating island,” and the “other America.” Through reading across Caribbean literatures, cultures, languages, and theories which organize the region, we will explore the ways in which cosmopolitanisms shape the literary and cultural productions of the Caribbean. If cosmopolitanism, “the definition of oneself through the world beyond one’s own origins,” is a crucial element of modernity, how might colonialism, imperialism, and orientalism be considered forms of European cosmopolitanism? And how might we understand Caribbean cultures’ employment of cosmopolitanisms as an intervention of liberal humanism, and, therefore as a conceptual frame of resistance? Caribbean cultures, like all cultures, have been forged in the crucible of hybridity and cultural fusion. We will pay attention to the ways this hybridity emerges against the persistence of a mythological cultural and national homogeneity. Texts may include William Shakespeare’s The Tempest, Aime Césaire’s A Tempest, Emily Bronte’s Jane Eyre, Jean Rhys’s Wide Sargasso Sea, V.S. Naipaul’s Mimic Men, Alejo Carpentier’s A Kingdom of This World, C.L.R. James’s Minty Alley, Edwidge Danticat’s The Farming of Bones, Derek Walcott’s The Star-Apple Kingdom, and Jamaica Kincaid’s Lucy. There will be a series of critical essays also required; those authors include theorists of the Caribbean such as Antonio Bénitez-Rojo, Édouard Glissant, Patricia Mohammed, and Frantz Fanon.
ENG 457: African-American Drama
This African-merican Drama course is designed to encompass the history and development of African-merican Drama in the United States from its origins to the present moment. The course is divided into three moments. Part One will explore the roots of African American drama, 1751-1890 with an examination of the early stage images of black subjects, the 19th century stage stereotypes of minstrelsy and Uncle Tom’s Cabin, and the relatively unknown initial achievements of the African Grove Theater, the stellar career of Ira Aldridge, and the early black playwrights. Part Two, the period from 1910-1959, will focus on the black theater of the Harlem Renaissance, the Little Theater Movement, and the Harlem Unit of the Federal Theater Project. Part Three, 1959-Present, which occupies the major portion of the semester, will be devoted to the study of major plays and playwrights from the watershed production of Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin In the Sun (1959) to the recent Pulitzer Prize production of Suzan Lori-Parks’s Topdog-Underdog (2001).
FR 310: Travel Study in 20th-Cntury French Drama
Part of the study abroad curriculum in France. Survey of twentieth-entury French drama, both as literature and spectacle, including selected works of Montherlant, Claudel, Anouilh, Giraudoux, Sartre, and Camus.
FR 411: Literature of the Enlightenment
Introduction to the literature of the eighteenth century (1715-89), including essay, theater and prose fiction. Works by authors such as Voltaire, Diderot, Rousseau, Montesquieu, Beaumarchais and Laclos.
GER 336: The German Fairy Tale
This course will investigate the origins of the German fairy tale, its contribution to German nationalism from Herder to the Grimm Brothers and its evolution into modern, more subversive forms of the fairy tale.
GRK 210: The Greek New Testament
Selected readings from the Greek New Testament and other texts in koine Greek, with particular attention to the differences in idiom between Attic and koine Greek.
GRK 232: Greek Drama
Selected readings from Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides, or Aristophanes. Attention is paid to the evolution of Greek drama and the authors' places within that evolution. Course may be repeated once with a change of author or topic.
GRK 232: Greek Prose
Selected readings from Herodotus, Plato, or Thucydides. Attention is paid to advanced grammar, rapid comprehension, and scholarly interpretation of the text. Course may be repeated once with change of author or topic.
JPN 235: Classical Japanese Literature
Survey of the development of classical Japanese literature from the seventh century to 1858, when Japan opened its doors to the West. Students read representative texts in English translation in various genres from various periods.
JPN 245: Modern Japanese Literature
Survey of the development of modern Japanese literature from 1858, when Japan opened its doors to the west, to the present. Students read representative texts in English translation by major writers in various genres.
LAT 231: Literature of the Roman Republic
Selected readings from authors like Plautus, Terence, Caesar, Cicero, Catullus, Lucretius, or other authors of the Roman Republic. Attention is paid to advanced grammar, rapid comprehension, and scholarly interpretation of the text. Course may be repeated once with a change of author.
LAT 232: Literature of the Augustan Age
Selected readings from Vergil, Ovid, Horace, Livy, or other authors of the Augustan period. Attention is paid to advanced grammar, rapid comprehension, and scholarly interpretation of the text. Course may be repeated once with a change of author.
LAT 233: Literature of the Roman Empire
Selected readings from Seneca, Lucan, Petronius, Tacitus, Juvenal, Apuleius, or other authors of the Roman Imperial period. Attention is paid to advanced grammar, rapid comprehension, and scholarly interpretation of the text.
LAT 234: Literature of the Late Antique and Medieval Periods
Selected readings from authors of the late antique and medieval periods of Latin literature. Attention is paid to advanced grammar, rapid comprehension, and the scholarly interpretation of the text.
LAT 235: Studies in Advanced Latin
Selected readings from genres such as satire, letters, or drama. Attention is paid to advanced grammar, rapid comprehension, and scholarly interpretation of the text. Course may be repeated once with a change of author.
MLL 120: Reading Literature in Translation
All sections focus on reading and analyzing literature in translation. Students are introduced to such concepts as point of view, plot, character, imagery, symbolism, rhyme scheme and dialogue, and to various interpretive approaches. Written assignments provide practice in clarifying the understanding of literature. Topics are published prior to each term.
MLL 245: African Literature
Study of the development of African Literature from the early 1900s to the present. The course will focus on the representation of society, culture and peoples of African ancestry, the tumultuous changes resulting from colonial and neocolonial influences, the question of language vis-à-vis African creative writing, and the emergence of national and transnational identities. Authors considered may include Achebe, Mariama Bâ, Emecheta, Bessie Head, Ngugi, Oyono, Sembene, and newly established writers.
SPN 340: Foreign Study in Spanish-American Literature
Part of the study abroad curriculum. Overview of contemporary Spanish-American literature, focusing on the poetry, narrative, and drama of the country. Readings and discussions of representative texts complemented by viewing selected works in the theatre.
Dr. Fray asked if there was any discussion on the courses recommended for Analysis of Texts (within Core: Human Cultures category) credit. There was no discussion.
Recommended for Core: Human Cultures: Historical Analysis credit:
CL 111: Introduction to Classics
Introduction to the field of Classical Studies, focusing on philology, history, archaeology, art, and architecture and their sub-fields. Other topics will include the intellectual history of the discipline, transmission of texts, scholarly theory and methodology, and cultural informatics.
CL 220: Greek Civilization
Survey, organized chronologically, of Greek political, military, and economic history, development of literature, sculpture and major architecture; attention to domestic and religious aspects of the Greek experience.
CL 221: Roman Civilization
A study of Rome from its origins to its putative fall in the fifth century. Particular attention is paid to the development and influence of Roman social, cultural, and political structures.
FYS: Greece and Japan: Connections and Comparisons
This interdisciplinary seminar will compare Greek and Japanese myths and legends, investigate historical connections that emerge from their myths and legends, and examine how these myths and legends are variously appropriated and utilized in western civilization and in Japanese culture and history. (Chris Blackwell)
Dr. Fray asked if there was any discussion on the courses recommended for Core: Human Cultures: Historical Analysis credit. There was no discussion.
Recommended for Core: Ultimate Questions credit:
REL 110: Dimensions of Religion
Exploration of the phenomenon of religion as manifested in the variety of religious experiences and expressions, including symbols, myths, rituals, and religious literature. Sacred writings from a variety of religious traditions will be explored.
REL 111: The Bible and Ultimate Questions
The Bible and Ultimate Questions. A study of selected biblical texts with an eye toward ultimate questions raised and addressed by those texts. Typically, biblical texts are studied in pairs or triads, thus emphasizing diverse perspectives, and in relation to other literature, ancient and modern.
REL 112: From Jerusalem to the World: Intro to Religion
While focusing on the Bible and Western traditions, wider comparative study is included in this exploration of the nature of religious experience, belief, and practice and their relationship to culture and history. Students will critically engage their own perspectives and contemporary issues.
REL 343: Liberation Theologies
This course examines some of the classic texts in Latin American, black, womanist, and feminist liberation theology and aims at an understanding of their sources, methods, hermeneutics, and primary themes. In addition, attention will be devoted to German political theology in its call for a radical transformation of theology in light of the massive suffering in human history.
REL 363: Religion and Sexuality
This course covers the theology of sexuality, the connection between sexuality and spirituality, gender relations, and sexual orientation. This course also covers the intersection between ethics and sexuality, including singlehood, marriage, celibacy, sexual violence and pornography.
Dr. Fray asked if there was any discussion on the courses recommended for Core: Ultimate Questions credit. There was no discussion.
Recommended for Black Cultures in America Concentration credit:
ENG 453: African-American Literature
In this course, we will read traditional Black Atlantic 18th and 19th century slave narratives and examples from the 20th century “slave novel genre,” otherwise known as the “neo-slave narrative.” Taking into consideration the challenges of formal genre presented by the slave novel's reinvention of the traditional slave narrative, we will explore questions such as the following: how to conceptualize history, is it possible to know the past, and, if so, through what means is such knowledge produced? These texts engage questions as the critique of historiographies, ideologies, and models of interpretation that subjected African-American cultural production and black identity to, at best, second-class citizenship and, more disastrously, less than human status; the relation between memory, writing, and historical representation; and the reproduction of hierarchical categories in the construction of racial, sexual, and gender differences. Texts may include Douglass, Equiano, Prince, Jacobs, Bradley, Morrison, G. Jones, E. Jones, and Caryl Phillips.
ENG 454: Caribbean Cosmopolitans, Literatures, and Cultures
The Caribbean has recently been theorized as a “repeating island,” and the “other America.” Through reading across Caribbean literatures, cultures, languages, and theories which organize the region, we will explore the ways in which cosmopolitanisms shape the literary and cultural productions of the Caribbean. If cosmopolitanism, “the definition of oneself through the world beyond one’s own origins,” is a crucial element of modernity, how might colonialism, imperialism, and orientalism be considered forms of European cosmopolitanism? And how might we understand Caribbean cultures’ employment of cosmopolitanisms as an intervention of liberal humanism, and, therefore as a conceptual frame of resistance? Caribbean cultures, like all cultures, have been forged in the crucible of hybridity and cultural fusion. We will pay attention to the ways this hybridity emerges against the persistence of a mythological cultural and national homogeneity. Texts may include William Shakespeare’s The Tempest, Aime Césaire’s A Tempest, Emily Bronte’s Jane Eyre, Jean Rhys’s Wide Sargasso Sea, V.S. Naipaul’s Mimic Men, Alejo Carpentier’s A Kingdom of This World, C.L.R. James’s Minty Alley, Edwidge Danticat’s The Farming of Bones, Derek Walcott’s The Star-Apple Kingdom, and Jamaica Kincaid’s Lucy. There will be a series of critical essays also required; those authors include theorists of the Caribbean such as Antonio Bénitez-Rojo, Édouard Glissant, Patricia Mohammed, and Frantz Fanon.
ENG 457: African-American Drama
This African-American Drama course is designed to encompass the history and development of African-American Drama in the United States from its origins to the present moment. The course is divided into three moments. Part One will explore the roots of African American drama, 1751-1890 with an examination of the early stage images of black subjects, the 19th century stage stereotypes of minstrelsy and Uncle Tom’s Cabin, and the relatively unknown initial achievements of the African Grove Theater, the stellar career of Ira Aldridge, and the early black playwrights. Part Two, the period from 1910-1959, will focus on the black theater of the Harlem Renaissance, the Little Theater Movement, and the Harlem Unit of the Federal Theater Project. Part Three, 1959-Present, which occupies the major portion of the semester, will be devoted to the study of major plays and playwrights from the watershed production of Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin In the Sun (1959) to the recent Pulitzer Prize production of Suzan Lori-Parks’s Topdog-Underdog (2001).
Dr. Fray asked if there was any discussion on the courses recommended for Black Cultures in America Concentration credit. There was no discussion.
Recommended for Ancient Greek and Roman Concentration credit:
FYW: History of the Liberal Arts
The course will explore the history and practice of the liberal arts in the western tradition from the classical period to the present. Specific focus will be on the development of "Humanism" and the "Humanities" in higher education from early modern European universities to liberal arts education on American campuses. (Margaret Oakes)
GRK 201: Intermediate Greek
Reading and interpretation of writings from the Classical Greek authors and the Greek New Testament. Topics include new vocabulary, review of basic grammar and introduction of new grammar, guidance in translation and comprehension of moderately difficult Greek.
GRK 210: The Greek New Testament
Selected readings from the Greek New Testament and other texts in koine Greek, with particular attention to the differences in idiom between Attic and koine Greek.
GRK 232: Greek Drama
Selected readings from Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides, or Aristophanes. Attention is paid to the evolution of Greek drama and the authors' places within that evolution. Course may be repeated once with a change of author or topic.
GRK 232: Greek Prose
Selected readings from Herodotus, Plato, or Thucydides. Attention is paid to advanced grammar, rapid comprehension, and scholarly interpretation of the text. Course may be repeated once with change of author or topic.
HST 95: The Byzantine Empire and the Rise of Islam
This course considers the "end of antiquity," the struggle between the East Roman (Byzantine) and Sassanid Persian Empires that facilitated the rise of Islam. Sources will be drawn from the literature, coinage, inscriptions, and archaeological finds from the Roman/Byzantine, Persian, and Arab worlds.
HST 201: The Fall of Rome
Did the Roman Empire fall? An examination of the events and interpretations of the Late Roman Empire, including the rise of successor kingdoms in the West and the survival of the Eastern (Byzantine) Empire.
LAT 202: Intermediate Latin II
Builds upon the proficiency developed through Latin 21. Review of morphology, grammar and syntax; reading of prose and poetry with the aim of developing proficiency in reading Latin and surveying Latin literature.
LAT 231: Literature of the Roman Republic
Selected readings from authors like Plautus, Terence, Caesar, Cicero, Catullus, Lucretius, or other authors of the Roman Republic. Attention is paid to advanced grammar, rapid comprehension, and scholarly interpretation of the text. Course may be repeated once with a change of author.
LAT 232: Literature of the Augustan Age
Selected readings from Vergil, Ovid, Horace, Livy, or other authors of the Augustan period. Attention is paid to advanced grammar, rapid comprehension, and scholarly interpretation of the text. Course may be repeated once with a change of author.
LAT 233: Literature of the Roman Empire
Selected readings from Seneca, Lucan, Petronius, Tacitus, Juvenal, Apuleius, or other authors of the Roman Imperial period. Attention is paid to advanced grammar, rapid comprehension, and scholarly interpretation of the text.
LAT 234: Literature of the Late Antique and Medieval Periods
Selected readings from authors of the late antique and medieval periods of Latin literature. Attention is paid to advanced grammar, rapid comprehension, and the scholarly interpretation of the text.
LAT 235: Studies in Advanced Latin
Selected readings from genres such as satire, letters, or drama. Attention is paid to advanced grammar, rapid comprehension, and scholarly interpretation of the text. Course may be repeated once with a change of author.
REL 95: Jews and Christians Under Empire
A study of early Judaism and Christianity within the context of the religions of the Roman Empire, with special focus on the regions of Asia Minor, Greece and Rome.
Dr. Fray asked if there was any discussion on courses recommended for Ancient Greek and Roman Concentration credit. There was no discussion.
Recommended for Women and Gender Studies Concentration credit:
ENG 324: Women of Restoration Theater
A study of the role of women—as dramatists, actresses, and theater managers—in the development of Restoration drama. The course will examine Restoration discussions of sexual and social identities, theories of performance, and the debates about the unseemliness and "wickedness" of women's participation in the theater. Our discussions will center on the close examination of several plays by Restoration women. Authors studied will include Behn, Centlivre, Cavendish, Pix, Manley, and others.
ENG 405A: Studies in Gothic Literature
An examination of literary works in the gothic tradition by women writers—works that not only evoke fear, but also reveal the oppression of women. Among the issues these authors explore are arranged marriages, domestic imprisonment, lack of property rights, limited educational and vocational opportunities, and the physical, sexual, and psychological abuses of slavery.
HST 260: Courtiers and Warriors: Narratives of Japan
This course focuses on the multiple narratives of Japanese history by examining the gendered roles and ideals of courtiers and warriors. Concentrates on two interrelated themes: the historical reality and the construction of a mythical ideal—both positive and negative—in historical writings and popular culture in Japan, and exoticized elsewhere.
REL 363: Religion and Sexuality
This course covers the theology of sexuality, the connection between sexuality and spirituality, gender relations, and sexual orientation. This course also covers the intersection between ethics and sexuality, including singlehood, marriage, celibacy, sexual violence and pornography.
Dr. Fray asked if there was any discussion on courses recommended for Women and Gender Studies Concentration credit. There was no discussion.
Recommended for Latin American Studies Concentration credit:
SPN 350: Foreign Studies in Spanish-American Culture
Through lectures, literary readings, and visits to areas of cultural interest, students familiarize themselves with contemporary Spanish-American life, as well as with the contributions of indigenous cultures to contemporary Spanish-American society. Research on a cultural topic will culminate in a written project.
Dr. Fray asked if there was any discussion on courses recommended for Latin American Studies Concentration credit. There was no discussion except to mention that the title of the course had been changed to “Study Away in Spanish-American Culture” earlier in the meeting.
Recommended for Environmental Studies Concentration credit:
BIO 95: Freshwater Ecology
A study of freshwater (FW) environments and the diversity of FW organisms. Topics include physical and chemical characteristics of FW environments, physiological adaptations of and ecological interactions among organisms, and interactions between humans and FW ecosystems.
BIO 102: Environmental Biology
Study of the basic principles common to living organisms, with emphasis on environmental biology. Designed for non-science majors. Topics include ecology, evolution, biodiversity, and environmental issues, plus a synopsis of cellular biology, genetics, and physiology. Students may not receive credit for both BIO-101 and BIO-102. BIO-102 may not be enrolled after successful completion of BIO-11/111.
Dr. Fray asked if there was any discussion on courses recommended for Environmental Studies Concentration credit. There was no discussion.
Recommended for English for Speakers of Other Languages Concentration credit:
FYS: Language: What It Is and What It Isn’t. A general introduction to the phenomenon of language. It will focus on presenting various views on language origin, the facts and fallacies about language, the human vs. animal debate, and the reality as well as the myths of language usage. (Jerry Cox)
Dr. Fray asked if there was any discussion on courses recommended for English for Speakers of Other Languages Concentration credit. There was no discussion.
Dr. Abernethy MOVED that the faculty approve the following changes to the Latin Major requirements, contingent on the approval of the new Latin courses at the end of the proposal below.
Proposal to Revise the Latin Major
I Proposal.
The Classics Department proposes to revise the Latin major in two ways:
1) Require a new course, Latin 22/202 Intermediate Latin II, and
2) Revise the content of advanced Latin courses to move away from genre-based courses to period-based courses to reflect the interests and trends in Latin scholarship.
The number of courses required for the major has not changed. This remains an eight-course major, with Latin 22/202 taking the place of one of the five upper-level Latin courses formerly required, in this respect paralleling the Greek major.
Summary of Requirements:
The Latin major consists of eight courses.
Required:
Latin 202
At least four courses must be from:
Latin 231, 232, 233, 234, 235, 301,450, or 501
Up to three may be from:
CL 111, 120, 211, 221 (or 220), 231 (or 230), 320, 501 or, with approval, one FYS/FYW taught in the Classics department.
Suggested catalog description: Students completing a major in Greek or Latin must complete eight courses beyond 201. Three courses from CL 111, 120, 211, 221 (or 220), 231 (or 230), 320, or 501 may be substituted in either major. One FYS/FYW course taught in the Classics department may also, with approval, count toward the Greek or Latin Major.
II Summary of Major Courses
List of deleted courses:
31 Latin Drama (4)
Reading of select comedies of Plautus and Terence. Topics include grammar, meter, style, figures of speech, guidance in translation, comprehension, and scholarly interpretation of the text.
32 Latin Poetry (4)
Selected readings from authors such as Catullus, Horace, Propertius, Tibullus, Ovid, or Vergil. Topics include review and introduction to advanced grammar, style, meter, figures of speech, guidance in translation, comprehension, and scholarly interpretation of the text.
33 Latin Prose (4)
Selected readings from authors such as Caesar, Cicero, Livy, Pliny the Younger, Sallust, and Seneca. Topics include review and introduction to advanced grammar, guidance in translation, comprehension, and scholarly interpretation of the text.
34 Medieval and Renaissance Latin (4)
Introduction to Medieval and Renaissance poetry and prose. Topics include the syntax of Medieval Latin, medieval thought, and the transmission of classical culture through the middle ages and into the Renaissance.
List of new Latin courses (all pending approval):
22/202 Intermediate Latin II
31/231 Literature of the Roman Republic
32/232 Literature of the Augustan Age
33/233 Literature of the Roman Empire
34/234 Latin Literature of Late Antiquity and the Medieval Period
35/235 Studies in Advanced Latin
Existing Latin courses:
40/301 Latin Prose Composition
80/501 Directed Independent Study
95/XXX Special Topics in Latin
New Classics course (pending approval):
211 Classical Archaeology
Existing Classics courses:
111 Introduction to Classics
120 Mythology
231 Reading Latin Literature (or 230 Reading Greek Literature)
221 Roman Civilization (or 220 Greek Civilization)
320 Study Abroad in Classical Civilizations
501 Directed Independent Study
Dr. Fray asked if there was any discussion. There was no discussion and the MOTION PASSED with no dissension.
Dr. Abernethy MOVED that the faculty approve the following changes to the policy on Academic Probation and Leave of Absence.
Background. The appended proposed policy changes were submitted to the Academic Policies Committee by Dean Linda Bartlett, Associate Academic Dean. The purpose of the proposed changes is to adapt the respective policies to the new academic calendar. APC has considered and endorses each proposed change.
All the proposed changes were also reviewed and endorsed by the Implementation Task Force Steering Committee. The academic probation policy has also been reviewed and endorsed by the current Appeals Committee, as well as Dr. Beth Pontari, the chair of the Appeals Committee for the 2005-06 and 2006-07 academic years.
The proposed academic probation policy maintains the basic philosophy, mechanics and provisions of our current policy, with necessary adjustments for the semester-plus calendar. The items in bold in the proposed policy (see below) represent significant changes to the policy. An Excel spreadsheet is also provided that puts the proposed GPA ranges and accompanying minimum GPA side-by-side with the current ones for comparison's sake.
The proposed change in the leave of absence policy concerns the length of leave normally granted. In the current policy, this is for up to two consecutive regular terms. In the new policy this is changed to one regular semester.
Note for Information Only:
Dean Bartlett also reviewed the current attendance policy with respect to possible implications that the new calendar might have for it. The current policy states:
The instructor sets the attendance requirement for each course. The following guidelines should be considered in effect unless otherwise stated: Freshmen will be withdrawn from a course if absent, for any reason, 15 percent of the class meetings. Sophomores, juniors, and seniors will be withdrawn from a course if absent 25 percent of the class meetings. In both cases, a failing (F) grade will be recorded unless the absences were due to providential reasons, in which case a withdrawal (W) grade may be assigned after consultation with the Associate Academic Dean.
She recommended no changes to the policy. A second spreadsheet document compares the number of permissible absences this policy affords under both the trimester and semester calendars.
Proposed Changes
Policy on Academic Probation
· To retain good academic standing, students must achieve a minimum GPA as determined by the number of credits attempted (Furman+transfer+AP/IB). The GPA requirement will be specified by a sliding scale so that by the time students have reached senior status (by credits) the required GPA is a 2.0. The scale will provide latitude for freshmen to drop one course without penalty.
· Student academic standing will be reviewed at the end of each term in which the student enters into a new range of attempted hours as designated by the scale.
· Students on academic probation who are eligible to enroll in spring term will be automatically eligible to enroll in May Experience.
· Students participating in May Experience will be reviewed at the end of May X rather than spring term. Summer sessions I and II will continue to be treated as one term for purposes of academic probation.
· Students who fail to achieve the minimum required GPA at two consecutive review points will be suspended and withdrawn from Furman. They may apply for readmission through the office of the Associate Academic Dean after two regular terms have passed. The burden will be on the student to make a convincing case for readmission. If the student believes he/she is ready to return by the end of one regular term away, the student may appeal to return early.
· Students may appeal to have the suspension set aside. If the appeal is successful, the student is subject to the conditions imposed by the Appeals Committee.
· Students returning to Furman after a suspension must regain good academic standing by the second review point following reenrollment. Failure to do so will result in dismissal from the University.
· Students who regain good academic standing after reaching suspension status (whether or not they are actually suspended), but who later fall under academic probation two consecutive times will be dismissed from the University.
· Students may appeal academic dismissal to the Appeals Committee.
· Students wishing to re-enroll after dismissal must apply through the Appeals Committee.
Academic Probation Scale (Proposed)
Each regular term in which cumulative credits attempted are Minimum GPA
16 or fewer 1.40
Initial term in which cumulative credits attempted are Minimum GPA
17-28 1.58
29-36 1.62
37-50 1.70
51-68 1.80
66-82 1.90
83-99 2.00
100+ 2.00
Observations:
· In some cases, students will reach AP sooner than on the trimester system; in other cases, later.
· Students will not have as many opportunities (fewer terms), to regain good standing. This could result in more students reaching suspension status.
· Summer school may be a riskier proposal for some students.
Transition Policy (Proposed)
The new GPA scale will apply to all students as of fall 2008.
Students on academic probation at the end of spring 2008 will fall under the new grade point/attempted credit ranges specified above. AP1 students will have the entire 2008-09 academic year to remove themselves from probation before reaching suspension. AP2 students still on probation at the end of fall semester 2008 will be suspended.
Students who reach suspension at the end of winter 2008 will be eligible to reapply for the spring 2009 semester.
Students suspended at the end of spring 2008 will be eligible to reapply for the fall 2009 semester. (They may appeal to return sooner, if they believe their circumstances warrant it.)
Students readmitted for the winter and spring 2008 terms will be reevaluated after the term in which they have completed a minimum of 20 additional credits.
Students readmitted for fall 2008 will be required to regain good standing by the second review point after reenrollment or incur dismissal.
*It is suggested that the Appeals Committee demonstrate latitude in cases of students whose academic standing has clearly been adversely impacted by the transition from the old GPA scale to the new one.
Proposed
Policy on Leave of Absence
A request for a leave of absence is made to the Associate Academic Dean prior to the term for which the absence is requested. The term of the leave shall normally be one regular semester. Under no circumstances shall the leave extend beyond one year. Financial aid requirements, registration deadlines, and all other University obligations are the same for students returning from a leave of absence as stated for students whose enrollment at Furman has continued uninterrupted.
Replaces current policy:
A leave of absence may be granted for up to two consecutive regular terms. A request for a leave of absence is made to the Associate Academic Dean prior to the term for which the absence is requested. Financial aid requirements, registration deadlines, and all other University obligations are the same for students returning from a leave of absence as stated for students whose enrollment at Furman has continued uninterrupted.
Dr. Fray asked if there was any discussion. There was no discussion. The MOTION PASSED with a voice vote with no dissension.
Dr. Lorraine Dejong, Chair, Policies and Procedures Committee MOVED that the faculty approve the following changes providing operating procedures for study away.
Rationale
Currently there are no operating procedures for the Study Away Committee. This is something that has been on the agenda since the committee was created in January 2007. The committee was inherited from the Implementation Task Force Study Away Committee, the implementation version of this committee. The rationale for the differing processes of reviewing Furman programs vs. exchange/affiliated programs, is that the latter represent an administrative detail. As a standing faculty committee, the Study Away Committee is charged with handling certain aspects on the behalf of the faculty as a whole, and whereas Furman academic programs should be subjected to full faculty review, exchange/affiliate programs need not be.
190.8 Study Away Committee Operating Procedures
A. Background
The Study Away Committee is responsible for working with the administration and academic departments to develop and maintain study away programs and to review affiliated and student exchange programs.
B. Policy
A new study away program (any program receiving Furman credit that requires off-campus housing) or a substantive change in an existing program must be approved by all relevant departments, the Study Away Committee, the general faculty, and the academic administration. Affiliated or student exchange programs must be approved by the Study Away Committee and the academic administration.
C. Guidelines
1. A proposal for a study away program will be submitted to the Assistant Dean for Study Away and International Education and the Study Away Committee. A copy of the proposal guidelines is available from the Assistant Dean for Study Away and International Education.
2. The Study Away Committee will evaluate the study away proposal and, if approved, will present the proposal to the faculty for action. Consideration of new individual courses, if any, will be the responsibility of the Curriculum Committee.
3. After approval by the faculty, the study away proposal will be sent to the Provost for final approval.
4. The Assistant Dean for Study Away and International Education, in consultation with the relevant departments and the Study Away Committee, will determine when approved programs will be offered to students. These programs are administered by the Assistant Dean for Study Away and International Education according to File 112.6.
5. The Study Away Committee will evaluate and approve affiliated study away and student exchange programs and will inform the faculty of their decisions regarding these programs. The Study Away Committee will periodically review these programs and report to the faculty.
Dr. Fray asked if there was any discussion. Dr. Laura Wright, Chemistry, asked if this policy would require a change in the constitution. Dr. Dejong responded that the committee is in the constitution and no constitutional change would be needed.
The MOTION PASSED in a voice vote with no opposition.
IV. New Business
There was no new business.
V. Announcements
Provost Kazee began his announcements by thanking the faculty for their patience. He has the pleasure of serving on both the Curriculum Committee and the APC and he is gratified by the process and their good efforts.
Provost Kazee introduced Connie Carson, the new Vice President for Student Services. She comes to Furman after 22 years at Wake Forest University.
President Shi is away working on the capital campaign. He has launched the campaign in 7 cities and he reports that these launches have all been very positive and successful.
At the end of January, applications for admission were over 4,000, approximately a 16% increase from last year and a 14% increase from the record year. This is very encouraging in building a new class. Dr. Gil Einstein, Psychology, asked if there was any speculation on what caused this increase. Mr. Woody O’Cain, Director of Admissions, responded that there is now a simplified process with one application, the admissions fee has been waived for online applicants, a consultant group was hired to call the potential students who vested during mid-December but had not yet applied, and the applications for the Hollingsworth scholarship are up. Dr. Scott Henderson, Education, added that this is the largest national class of seniors in the history of the country, and after this year the number of high school seniors will begin to decline. Provost Kazee commented one of the roles of the new Vice President for Enrollment is being attuned to the larger picture and keeping Furman successful as the national pool of applicants declines.
Work is progressing on Cliffs Cottage, the Southern Living showcase home. Photographers from Southern Living will be here March 24, 2008. Cliffs Cottage will be open to the public for tours for about one year. All proceeds from ticket sales will go to Furman. Then the home will be converted into a center for sustainability.
Furman is investigating partnering with the Cliffs in Parga, Chile. A group of faculty visited and looked at such things as community development projects, study away, and the May Experience. A group of alumni has also visited and the current Chair of the Board of Trustees is excited about the prospect.
May Experience planning is progressing.
There are several searches underway including the Dean of Faculty. The ad for the Vice President for Enrollment is posted in the Chronicle. A search committee has been formed and will have their initial meeting tomorrow. The search for a new Chief Information Officer has begun. A search committee has been formed for a Director of Sustainability. All of these positions have ads on the Furman web site. Dr. Jane Love is chair of the search committee for the Assistant. Dean of CTEL. They will begin telephone interviews soon to select the candidates they will invite to campus.
The budget is nearing final shape and will be presented to the Board of Trustees in two weeks. The shifting economy is a concern, and causes turbulence with budget planning for 2008-09. A downturn in the economy could have two impacts. The endowment could go down or there could be a negative impact on enrollment. Both of these could reduce revenue and lead to a revision of the budget. The administration is developing contingency plans in case the budget has to be amended.
Dr. Jean Horney, Economics, asked if Furman received the questionnaire that Congress sent to 136 colleges and universities with the largest endowments. We were included and Mary Lou Merck stated that we were 133 out of 136. The questionnaire asks for many facts. Furman’s policy is to spend 4.5% of its endowment.
Dr. George Lipscomb, Education, asked about the Rails to Trails project. Provost Kazee responded that the first segment from Watkins Bridge Road to Travelers Rest will be graded in two weeks. Then they will put on a surface of crushed limestone. The section from Watkins Bridge Road to the Peace Center will take longer since a number of bridges require work.
Dr. Lynne Shackleford, Chair, Implementation Task Force Steering Committee, reported that the task force is concentrating on the May Experience. As the May Experience is without precedent at Furman there are many policy and procedural issues to be determined. To help facilitate the process, Dr. Shackleford decided to pull together an advisory group which met in December and January. This group helped move the process along. A primer for faculty on the May Experience is being developed and faculty will see the results in spring. The May Experience sub- committee also posed a set of questions for class proposals and met with Dr. Kevin Treu. The class proposal system should be available in spring. The subcommittee also recommended that an ad hoc committee oversee the May Experience for the first two years. Their function would include holding forums, to act in an advisory role, to appeal to students, and to act as an advocate for the May Experience. The steering committee and Provost Kazee endorsed this recommendation and Dr. Fray is making the appointments.
Dr. Shackleford recognized the members of the May Experience subcommittee and their work on this challenging task.
Now that the faculty has some experience with the course proposal system for the new curriculum, Dr. Shackleford has asked Dr. Chris Blackwell, Chair of the Core and Global Awareness Requirements subcommittee, to review the questions in the CGA course proposal system. This review will include taking suggestions from faculty and meeting with the APC.
Dr. Laura Wright, Chair, Search Committee for the Dean of the Faculty, thanked the faculty for their 60 nominations. The committee is about to finalize its work and would like faculty to make their comments concerning the candidates this evening.
VI. Adjournment
There being no further business the meeting was adjourned at 5:06 p.m.
Respectfully submitted;
Victoria Welborn
Faculty Recorder
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Minutes
Furman University Faculty Meeting
November 13, 2007
Watkins Room, University Center
I. CALL TO ORDER.
Dr. Robert Fray, Chair of the Faculty, called the meeting to order at 3:31 p.m., a quorum being present.
II. CONSENT AGENDA. (posted)
Dr. Fray asked whether anyone wished to consider items on the consent agenda (approval of minutes from the October 10, 2007 meeting and a list of special topics courses approved by the Curriculum Committee). There being no such requests, the consent agenda was approved by general consent. The following special topics courses were listed.
Special Topics Courses (do not require action by the faculty). Two-digit course numbers will be offered this year; three-digit course numbers will be offered starting Fall 2008.
AS 95: Chinese Poetry (4 credit course)
Chinese language and culture through poetry in translation, classical and modern. Comparisons of Chinese classical and English Imagist poetry will highlight cultural diversity. Readings will be drawn from Tang Dynasty poets Li Bai and Tu Fu and modern poets such as Ai Qing, Wen Yiduo, Bei Dao, and Gu Cheng.
AS A95: The Ramayana: Gods, Myths, Moral Dilemmas (4 credit course)
In this course we will examine various versions (text, film, television, etc.) of the Indian epic Ramayana with the intention of addressing the profound and long lasting influence this narrative has had on the religion, morals, culture, politics, and society of South and Southeast Asia.
ART 95: History of Photography (4 credit course)
This course will provide a historical overview of the medium of photography from its inception in 1826 to present. The course will trace photography’s path from scientific innovation and utilitarian tool, to its current status as both art object, and object of persuasion in contemporary society. By using images as visual evidence, we will analyze how style and subject matter of photographs reflect the social movements and cultural values throughout the 19th and 20th centuries.
BA 95: Country and Regional Perspectives on Globalization (4 credit course)
Survey of globalization of business from the perspective of a particular country or region. Considers the country’s role in the global economy and the impact of globalization on business decisions in the country. Part of a study abroad program in Ireland and Northern Ireland.
BA 95: Behavioral Application of Organizational Performance Improvement (4 credit course)
Experiential learning of workplace performance from a behavior analytic perspective. Students work with a local business to develop, implement, and evaluate practical, empirically-validated performance improvement plans related to productivity, customer service, quality, safety, or other measures worthy of change. Topics: behavior change strategies, pay-for-performance, feedback systems, current research.
BA 95: Entrepreneurship and New Venture Development (4 credit course)
Study of entrepreneurship in society and the characteristics of entrepreneurs and their organizations. Topics include how opportunities are discovered, the conditions of markets and industries that must be weighed in choosing to enter them, and the resources to establish a new venture and build it into a successful enterprise.
BA 95: International Marketing (4 credit course)
Management of global marketing operations with emphasis on the strategic distribution, promotion, product, and pricing issues faced by firms engaged in world trade. An in-depth examination of the economic, financial, cultural and political/legal infrastructures that affect the marketing function in different countries and regions.
COM 95: Sound, Story, and Sustainability (4 credit course)
Study of the historical, cultural, journalistic, technical, and aesthetic aspects of audio production. Students learn to analyze audio news and documentary texts, and to research, write, record, edit, and produce audio features related to the local environment.
CS 380/95: Issues in Information Technology and Globalization (4 credit course)
Survey of the technologies that drive globalization such as networking, distributed computing, the World Wide Web, and electronic commerce. In-depth study of the impacts selected technologies have on a developing country or region and the impact of globalization on the discipline of computer science. Offered as part of a study abroad program in Ireland and Northern Ireland.
HST A95: Court Cultures: Early Modern France and Japan (4 credit course)
This course will examine, from a cross-cultural perspective, the inner workings of court societies. Based on seventeenth- and eighteenth-century France and Japan, this course introduces and critically addresses the concepts of court society, feudalism, and absolutism.
HST A95: African Slavery and the External Slave Trades (4 credit course)
This course is designed to provide a comprehensive and comparative overview of slavery within Africa, and the Trans-Atlantic, Trans-Saharan, and Indian Ocean slave trades.
IDS 380/95: Impact of Globalization on Countries in Transition (4 credit course)
Multidisciplinary examination of the impact of globalization on a selected country or region. The relationships between various frameworks for globalization will be explored including economics, information technology, culture, religion, environment, and politics. Part of a study abroad program in Ireland and Northern Ireland.
IDS 95: Indians and the State in Latin America (4 credit course)
Examination of the history and politics of Indigenous peoples in Latin America and their interactions with the state in the twentieth century. Special emphasis will be placed on the construction of ethnic identity and the state’s role in shaping that process.
PSY 95: Applied Developmental Psychology (4 credit course)
Students will read, interpret, and critique theory and empirical research on a wide range of topics related to Developmental Psychology. Areas of focus will include language, perspective-taking, problem-solving, play, gender, and friendships. An important part of the course is hands-on experience with preschoolers at an area child care facility. Students will be asked to apply the scientific literature to their observations of preschoolers.
PSY 95: Autism (4 credit course)
Historical and contemporary theory and scientific research related to autism will be examined. Areas of focus will include biological and environmental underpinnings of the disorder, aspects of cognition and social development that are affected, and current interventions. An important part of the course is discussion with area experts who specialize in autism.
REL 95/ENG 95: Literary and Theological Reflections on Vocation (4 credit course)
This interdisciplinary course considers theological and literary reflections on "vocation," or the sense of calling. Complementary theological and literary readings will attempt to clarify moral issues implicit in literary works and to make theological issues concrete by situating them in fictional and non-fictional narratives about individual human lives.
REL A95: Women and Power in Hinduism (4 credit course)
Exploration into Hindu women’s religious lives and the female nature of power in Hindu cosmology, mythology, and society. Close attention is given to the complex interrelationships among mythic, domestic, and economic gender hierarchies, particularly in the contemporary cultural context.
III. REPORTS OF OFFICERS AND STANDING COMMITTEES.
Dr. Fray reported that at their October 27, 2007 meeting the Board of Trustees approved the changes in Article V, Section 1 of the Furman University Bylaws replacing the Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean with the position of Provost and Executive Vice President. With this approval President Shi’s proposed reorganization of the senior administration is complete. Dean Kazee will become Provost and Executive Vice President and a Dean of Faculty will be selected from the current faculty.
At Dean Kazee’s request, the Nominating Committee recommended a search committee for the Dean of Faculty. The Nominating Committee nominated six faculty members who were then appointed as the Search Committee for the Dean of Faculty by Dr. Fray. The committee members are Dr. Laura Wright, Chemistry, Chair; Dr. Gil Allen, English; Dr. Chris Blackwell, Classics; Dr. Bob Chance, Art; Dr. Min-ken Liao, Biology; Dr. Danielle Vinson, Political Science.
During his tenure as faculty chair, Dr. John Beckford, Music, appointed an ad hoc committee to study Honors Programs and Senior-Year Experiences at Furman. This committee, first chaired by Dr. Tim Fehler, History, and subsequently by Dr. Min-ken Liao completed its study but has not yet completed the report. The written report will be completed and posted on Faculty Notices before the February faculty meeting.
Dr. Fray requested that during discussions all speakers stand and give their name and department and use the microphones which will be brought to them. Dr. Fray reiterated the importance of these practices as some people had difficulty hearing the discussions during the last meeting.
Dr. Shirley Ritter, Chair, Curriculum Committee, offered thanks to the committee, Mr. Brad Barron and also the faculty for the many who made the November 1, 2007 deadline for new course proposals.
Dr. Ritter MOVED that the faculty approve the following catalog courses. Two-digit course numbers will be offered this year; three-digit course numbers will be offered starting Fall 2008.
ANT 211: Mayan Archaeology (4 credit course)
Travel-study course focusing upon the Maya peoples of Mesoamerica. This course will examine what their glyphs, and what household, settlement, and urban archaeology reveal about the history and culture of the ancient Maya.
ANT 344: Anthropology of Religion (4 credit course)
This course examines religion as a cultural phenomenon and takes a comparative and holistic perspective on the beliefs and practices people use to make sense of this and other worlds, their places within them, and to solve pressing, life and death problems. Topics considered may include myth and symbols; rituals and religious specialists; altered states of consciousness and healing; witchcraft, divination, and magic; ghosts, souls, and ancestors; revitalization and millennial movements; and globalization and transnational change.
ART 254: History of Photography (4 credit course)
This course will provide a historical overview of the medium of photography from its inception in 1826 to present. The course will trace photography’s path from scientific innovation and utilitarian tool, to its current status as both art object, and object of persuasion in contemporary society. By using images as visual evidence, we will analyze how style and subject matter of photographs reflect the social movements and cultural values throughout the 19th and 20th centuries.
BA 411: Entrepreneurship and New Venture Development (4 credit course)
Study of entrepreneurship in society and the characteristics of entrepreneurs and their organizations. Topics include how opportunities are discovered, the conditions of markets and industries that must be weighed in choosing to enter them, and the resources to establish a new venture and build it into a successful enterprise.
BA 421: International Marketing (4 credit course)
Management of global marketing operations with emphasis on the strategic distribution, promotion, product, and pricing issues faced by firms engaged in world trade. An in-depth examination of the economic, financial, cultural and political/legal infrastructures that affect the marketing function in different countries and regions.
CHM 120: Organic Chemistry (4 credit course)
Emphasis on the application of chemical principles to carbon compounds. Physical and chemical properties of the major organic functional groups, an introduction to stereochemistry, molecular stability, spectroscopy, and related concepts of organic compounds are covered. Laboratory emphasizes reaction set-ups, recrystallization, distillation, extraction, and chromatography. Lab fee required.
CHM 220: Bioorganic Chemistry (4 credit course)
Introduction to the organic chemistry of living systems. Topics include: the structure and chemistry of proteins, mechanistic enzymology, the organic chemistry of cofactors, DNA-drug interactions, and the biosynthesis of natural products.
CHM 230: Inorganic Chemistry (4 credit course)
The field of inorganic chemistry is characterized by extreme diversity. This course will introduce students to a broad array of inorganic topics, beginning with an in-depth but general coverage of the Periodic Table. Building on that foundation, topics including main-group chemistry, nuclear chemistry, transition metal chemistry, and solid state chemistry will be explored in more depth. Connections between theory and observation will be highlighted.
CHM 420: Advanced Organic Chemistry (2 credit course)
This course will investigate the relationship between structure and reactivity in organic chemistry. Advanced topics to be studied include structural types, bonding theories, reaction types, energetics, and synthetic methods as applied to organic molecules and materials.
CHM 430: Advanced Inorganic Chemistry (2 credit course)
This course will investigate the relationship between structure and reactivity in inorganic chemistry. Advanced topics to be studied include structural types, bonding theories, reaction types, energetics, and spectroscopy as applied to transition metal complexes, organometallic complexes, solid state materials, and bioinorganic species.
ECN 251/51: Economics of China (4 credit course)
This course examines the causes and effects of economic development and structural reforms of the fastest-growing and largest developing country—China. We emphasize a political economy approach due to the state dominance in the Chinese economy.
EES 111: Earth Science and the Silver Screen (4 credit course)
Basic concepts of earth and environmental sciences by exploring the portrayal of these concepts in mainstream television and film.
EES 218: Plate Tectonics and Earthquakes (4 credit course)
History, theory, and application of the plate tectonic paradigm to ancient and modern earthquake activity and contemporaneous crustal instability. Case studies of modern earthquake activity, paleoseismicity, and prediction.
ENG 203: American Passages (4 credit course)
From physical journeys across the Atlantic Ocean, into the wilderness, down the Mississippi River to interior journeys of reflection, epiphany, and self-discovery, this course will examine a selection of American literature from pre-eighteenth century to the present. Students will encounter a variety of authors, genres, and themes in exploring such issues as American landscapes, spirituality, cultural diversity, and resistance to oppression.
ENG 301/40: Literature Before Print (4 credit course)
Literature Before Print focuses on medieval English literature. The course explores the differences between the way medieval people read—their experience of reading and their training as interpreters of texts—and the way we read today. We will consider the complexity and variance of texts created in a pre-print world. For example, we will talk about what it is like to read a poem in an eleventh-century manuscript, and then what it is like to read a related poem carved on a seventh-century stone monument. We'll talk about how editors argue about the correct order of the Canterbury Tales and discuss why Beowulf appears in manuscript with travel narratives and saints' lives. Students will be introduced to canonical and non-canonical texts of the medieval English period, discussed with a focus on the question of what it meant to read in the Middle Ages.
ENG 308: Renaissance Epic (4 credit course)
Considers the nature and purpose of the epic in the European Renaissance through a close study of Dante’s Divine Comedy, Ariosto’s Orlando Furioso, Spenser’s Faerie Queene, and Milton’s Paradise Lost. Renaissance theories of allegory and genre and the cultural work of these epics are explored.
ENG 313: English Poetics (4 credit course)
Study of theoretical statements by poets and major critics in the British and American tradition, in conjunction with study of poems presumably written according to the principles articulated in those theoretical statements. Special attention to major recurring issues in poetic theory and practice.
ENG 345: Travel Study in the United Kingdom and Ireland (4 credit course)
Study of texts and culture in the United Kingdom and Ireland. Specific topics will change from year to year.
ENG 406: Religious Poetry in English (4 credit course)
Study of selected religious poets writing in English in the Christian tradition, from the seventeenth century to the present. Special attention to the function of metaphor in rendering religious experience.
ENG 424: Utopian and Dystopian Literature (4 credit course)
The tentative proposition underlying this course is that every utopian and/or dystopian text is committed to a politico-ethical as well as distinctly literary project. The challenge of the course is to consider how these projects are related, but also how it may be possible, even necessary—-given the idiosyncrasies of utopian and dystopian texts—-to regard them as one and the same project. In reading works such as Plato's Republic, Thomas Moore's Utopia, Jonathan Swift's Gulliver's Travels, William Morris's News from Nowhere, Yevgeny Zamyatin's We, and Kim Stanley Robinson's Red Mars, our starting premise will be that the utopian/dystopian text responds to an ethical demand, an obligation to imagine another time, another place (topos), and that acting upon this demand requires a leap of the literary imagination. Utopian and dystopian texts are topoi where ethics and aesthetics intersect to make specific demands on the reader, but also to demand each other’s cooperation (no aesthetics without ethics, no ethics without aesthetics in the utopian/dystopian text).
ENG 473: Gender in South Asian Literature & Film (4 credit course)
Through a reading of literary and filmic texts this course will introduce students to the various debates over the representations of masculinity and femininity as these categories intersect with other forms of identity and belonging such as caste/class, nation, race, and sexuality.
HST 103: Early Modern Europe, c. 1450- c. 1715 (4 credit course)
Examination of the European social, intellectual, political, cultural, and religious developments from the era of Renaissance and Reformation through the Age of Absolutism. Key themes include the Italian Renaissance, voyages of exploration, colonialism, printing press, Protestant and Catholic reformations, Scientific Revolution, religious wars, absolutism and constitutionalism, witch craze.
HST 104: Modern Europe, 1715-present (4 credit course)
Course surveys the history of Europe from the time of the Enlightenment to the present. Major themes include: the Enlightenment; French Revolution; nationalism, socialism, liberalism; imperialism; the World Wars; fascism and communism; the Holocaust; post-WWII reconstruction and the Cold War; decolonization, citizenship, immigration; the end of communism, market integration, a common currency, and the evolution of the European Union; globalization.
HST 121: North America and the United States to 1877 (4 credit course)
An examination of North American history to 1877 in the context of western traditions and global interactions.
HST 122: United States Since 1877 (4 credit course)
An examination of North American history from 1877 to the present in the context of western traditions and global interactions.
HST 155: Ancient and Early South Asia (4 credit course)
An introduction to South Asia from prehistory to the early 16th century. Focus on the transformations of human environments in the Indian subcontinent, such as river-valley settlements, urban development, early state formation, long-distance trade, and mobility. Major themes include: 1) interaction and integration, and 2) diversity of ritual and cultural practices.
HST 156: Modern South Asia (4 credit course)
Traces the history of South Asia from the 16th century to present. Focus on Mughal dynasties and Indo-Islamic cultures, European traders and the British imperial projects, multiple resistors to imperial rule, and the creation of and challenges facing postcolonial South Asia.
HST 203: The Crusades, 1095 to 1291 (4 credit course)
An examination of the Crusading movement from 1095 to 1291, including its origins, decline, relations with both Byzantium and Islam, and its impact.
HST 206: European Reformations (c. 1400-1563) (4 credit course)
Examination of European history in an age of evolving religious ideologies and increased interaction with the non-European world. Major themes include matters of religious content as well as political, cultural, intellectual, and social history.
HST 208: Tudor-Stuart England (1485-1714) (4 credit course)
Analysis of the period that witnessed England's emergence as a major European power. Emphasis on political, religious, constitutional, foreign policy, and socio-economic transformations of this transitional period.
HST 211: 20th-Century Germany (4 credit course)
Examines German history from the catastrophic violence of two world wars and the Holocaust, through the process of postwar rebuilding in East and West, to the peaceful revolution that ended the Cold War in 1989 and helped to initiate reunification in 1990.
HST 212: Post-1945 Europe (4 credit course)
Comparative history of Europe from World War II to present; examines a number of societies (the Soviet Union, France, Italy, Poland, Yugoslavia, Germany, Great Britain), highlighting differences and similarities between Eastern and Western Europe while exploring transnational movements and trends.
HST 213: Race and Nation in Modern Europe (4 credit course)
Traces development of concepts of race and nation in Europe since early nineteenth century. Topics include: scientific racism and eugenics; the origins of modern nationalisms; contemporary theories of nationalism; the roots of modern anti-Semitism; ethnic cleansing and genocide.
HST 244: Revolution in Modern Latin America (4 credit course)
An exploration of revolutionary movements in modern Latin America, considering their origins, evolution and outcomes. Case studies and a comparative methodology are likely. Possible cases are Mexico, Cuba and Nicaragua. The role of the United States will be considered.
HST 264: Gender and Technology in East Asia (4 credit course)
The course explores social and material structures (technologies) that have shaped gender roles in East Asia, looking at mostly Chinese, Japanese, and Korean experiences. This deliberately broad definition allows for historically tracing the interaction between social norms, material artifacts, and cultural change from the16th century to the present.
HST 321: History of Urban and Suburban America (4 credit course)
American cities and suburbs. Historical sources of growth and decline; dynamics of natural and built environments; neighborhoods and social space; factors of gender, class, and ethnicity; migration; urban exchange networks, hinterlands and suburbs; historical mechanisms of political power, urban planning; and cultural production. Emphasis on the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.
MTH 301: Mathematics for Elementary School Teachers I (4 credit course)
Problem solving and mathematical reasoning; sets and set operations; functions; numeration systems; the systems of whole numbers, integers, and rational numbers; algorithms; mental computation; elementary number theory; teaching strategies, materials, and technologies for these topics in grades preK-6.
MTH 302: Mathematics for Elementary School Teachers II (4 credit course)
Decimals and percents; elementary probability; descriptive statistics; geometry of shapes in two and three dimensions; congruence and similarity; measurement; geometric transformations; teaching strategies, materials, and technologies for these topics in grades preK-6; and field-based experiences in area schools.
MUS 111: Basic Musicianship I (4 credit course)
Introduction to music fundamentals, basic principles of voice leading, and harmonic progression through development of complementary skills in analysis, composition, improvisation, music technology, sight-singing, ear training, and at the keyboard.
MUS 112: Basic Musicianship II (4 credit course)
Ongoing study of voice leading, diatonic harmony, basic modulation, and small forms through continued development of complementary skills in analysis, composition, improvisation, music technology, sight-singing, ear training, and at the keyboard.
MUS 211: Basic Musicianship III (4 credit course)
Ongoing study of voice leading, chromatic harmony, advanced modulation, and small forms through continued development of complementary skills in analysis, composition, improvisation, music technology, sight-singing, ear training, and at the keyboard.
MUS 212: Basic Musicianship IV (4 credit course)
Overview of large musical forms and of contemporary compositional techniques through continued development of complementary skills in analysis, composition, improvisation, music technology, sight-singing, ear training, and at the keyboard.
MUS 220: World Music (4 credit course)
An examination of music from selected regions of the world. Emphasis will be on understanding the culture, meaning, and identities found in music outside the western European paradigm.
MUS 221: Music History I (2 credit course)
A survey of the development of musical style, this course covers the period from Antiquity to c. 1650. Representative examples of music are discussed, with an emphasis on social-historical context and the philosophical origins of Western music.
MUS 332: Brass Methods (2 credit course)
Designed to prepare instrumentalists to teach the fundamentals of brass performance at the elementary and secondary school level. Emphasis will be on pedagogy as well as the acquisition of performance skills on all brass Instruments.
MUS 355/74: Opera Performance (2 credit course)
Vocal interpretation and characterization of operatic roles, moving to music, understanding theater skills and conventions, preparation and performance of opera scenes.
MUS 411: Contemporary Styles and Techniques (4 credit course)
An introduction to the analysis of musical composition and performance practice in the 20th and 21st centuries. Topics to include: extended tonality, atonality, serialism, minimalism, and electroacoustic music.
MUS 421: History and Literature of the Piano (4 credit course)
A comprehensive study of the development of the piano and a survey of the music written for it. Topics will include music written originally for harpsichord and clavichord as well as recent developments in electronic keyboard and computer technology.
MUS 422: History and Literature of the Organ (4 credit course)
A comprehensive study of the development of the organ, and a survey of organ music. Topics include characteristics of organs in specific countries and historical periods, and performance practices associated with specific schools and composers.
MUS 432: Survey of Choral Literature (2 credit course)
Choral literature, both sacred and secular, beginning with Gregorian Chant and concluding with choral-orchestral music of the 20th and 21st centuries will be discussed, analyzed, and heard.
MUS 564: Piano Pedagogy (2 credit course)
Designed for pianists to better understand the process of teaching piano. Through the study of learning theories, various piano methods, appropriate literature, and laboratory application, the student develops teaching skills for the piano.
MUS 565: Advanced Collaborative Piano (2 credit course)
The study and performance of chamber music literature involving the piano. Works of various style periods and instrumentations will be studied, with specific repertoire chosen to fit the particular strengths and interests of the students enrolled.
MUS 568: Service Playing (2 credit course)
Techniques and repertory of organ service playing. Topics include hymn playing, registration, accompanying of vocal and instrumental repertory, conducting from the console, improvisation, and occasional services.
MUS 569: Introduction to Organ and Harpsichord (2 credit course)
An introduction to the playing techniques, means of musical expressiveness, and repertories associated with the organ and harpsichord. Includes study of basic organ registration, as well as continuo performance for both.
PS 275: Issues in Political Thought (4 credit course)
Examination of selected moral and political themes in light of the tradition of political thought, based on careful analysis of classic texts in political thought as well as the writings of contemporary scholars and public intellectuals.
REL 111: The Bible and Ultimate Questions (4 credit course)
A study of selected biblical texts with an eye toward ultimate questions raised and addressed by those texts. Typically, biblical texts are studied in pairs or triads, thus emphasizing diverse perspectives, and in relation to other literature, ancient and modern.
REL 232: African-American Religious History (4 credit course)
This course will survey a number of prominent figures, themes, issues, and developments in African-American religion in the United States. This course examines a variety of figures and how their thought shaped and continues to shape African-American religious expression.
REL 343: Liberation Theologies (4 credit course)
This course examines some of the classic texts in Latin American, black, womanist, and feminist liberation theology and aims at an understanding of their sources, methods, hermeneutics, and primary themes. In addition, attention will be devoted to German political theology in its call for a radical transformation of theology in light of the massive suffering in human history.
REL 344: Black Liberation and Womanist Theologies (4 credit course)
This seminar is an in-depth examination of the history, provocations, themes in and critics of black liberation theology and womanist theology. Black liberation theology was created by James Cone as a theological response to the burgeoning Black Power movement of the late 1960s. Womanist theology developed later as a response to the masculinist rhetoric of both the Black Power movement and the first articulators of black liberation theology. Both theological orientations have argued that white supremacy threatens black life in America and that the black church must confront the “death-dealing” forces of white racism and supremacist thought. In this class, we will examine the writings of James Cone, Dwight Hopkins, Emilie Townes, Katie Cannon, and Jacquelyn Grant. We will examine the ways in which these writers construct “blackness” and the role of Christian theology and ethics in addressing black oppression and white supremacy. We will also look at critics of black liberation and womanist theology. We will examine the writings of critics like Anthony B. Pinn and Victor Anderson and interrogate their critiques of black liberation and womanist thought.
REL 363: Religion and Sexuality (4 credit course)
This course covers the theology of sexuality, the connection between sexuality and spirituality, gender relations, and sexual orientation. This course also covers the intersection between ethics and sexuality, including singlehood, marriage, celibacy, sexual violence and pornography.
THA 350: Theatre Arts Study Abroad (4 credit course)
New study abroad course in the UK. The class might include, but is not limited to, play attendance, visits backstage at major theatres, visits to foreign museums, and field trips to other sites of interest.
First Year Seminars (FYS) and First Year Seminars-Writing (FYW). The originating department is provided. All are 4 credit courses.
FYW BIO: Evaluating Scientific Claims in the Media
Students will learn the skills necessary to read scientific claims carefully, find relevant information in a variety of sources, and develop an informed opinion in writing about the veracity of the original claim. Students will test claims empirically in laboratory sessions. Lab fee required.
FYS ECN: Sports Economics
Using the tools of economic analysis, this course examines issues in professional and amateur sports, including market structure, antitrust, labor relations, college athletics, discrimination, Title IX regulations, and competition reforms.
FYW EES: Global Water Issues
The course is intended to introduce students to and foster discussion on the many scientific and political facets of the world’s leading global water issues. The course covers a wide range of water resource and water policy topics.
FYS ENG: Critical Identities Studies
This course explores new theoretical concepts of identity that offer solutions to social change by critically examining the ways race, sexuality, and/or gender, among others identity categories, organize cultural, political, and social institutions. Students will read from Critical Race Theory, Queer Theory, Masculinity Studies, and Feminist Race Theory among others.
FYS ENG: Poetic Diction
This course is about “poetic diction.” It involves the detailed study of particular words that appear in particular poems, using various databases currently available that make historical study of the evolution of the usage of these words much easier than used to be possible in the days of print culture.
FYS ENG: Social Indictment: An American Tradition
New students will study major works of film and literature within the tradition of social protest that emerged in twentieth-century America.
FYS ENG: Studying Paintings with Poems
This course will focus on developing an appreciation of the visual arts through reading and writing poems focused on paintings.
FYW ENG: The American Dream: The Ideal and the Reality
An exploration of the concept of America as a place of political and religious freedom, social and economic mobility, and opportunities to achieve personal fulfillment. Students will analyze both literary texts and contemporary culture.
FYW ENG: Engaging Nature
From earliest times, writers of literature have been interested in aspects of human experience that have involved forces that seem to be beyond human control. In this course, we will read and write about texts in which these forces are associated with “nature.” The texts, all written within the last forty years, will provide the focus of class discussion, and there will be a written assignment required on each text. The aim of the course is to improve your writing and thinking by encouraging you to construct persuasive arguments using a variety of organizational techniques. A good deal of time will be spent, both in small group meetings and in individual conferences, on problems of writing, from matters of punctuation and sentence structure to the organization of paragraphs and whole essays. We will focus particularly on problems that arise from your own writing – i.e. I am not interested in trying to teach the “rules” of grammar and writing as an abstract exercise apart from your own practice.
FYW ENG: History of Detective Fiction
The course traces detective fiction from 18th century gothic novels to Sherlock Holmes, British cozies, and American crime noir. Relationships to horror and science fiction are also explored. Focus includes creating a logical argument, using textual evidence, and writing mechanics.
FYW ENG: History of Liberal Arts
The course will explore the history and practice of the liberal arts in the western tradition from the classical period to the present. Specific focus will be on the development of "Humanism" and the "Humanities" in higher education from early modern European universities to liberal arts education on American campuses.
FYW ENG: “I’ll Be Watching You”: Surveillance Thrillers
This course considers the unsettling complications that arise for people who are watching or being watched. Discussions and writing assignments will focus on books and films portraying surveillance.
FYW ENG: Issues in Shakespearean Drama
This course will engage various issues in the drama of Shakespeare. Rather than focus on genre or major vs. minor plays, it will be fashioned around a particular group of ideas or topics that are relevant to understanding Shakespeare's plays and what it means to read them.
FYW ENG: Place, No-Place, Displaced
In this course students will consider “How does our thinking about ‘place’ shape our lives?” Through reading, discussion and writing, students will examine how sense of place can be shaped by such factors as nostalgia, gender, ethnicity, modes of production, commercialization, or virtual experience.
FYW ENG: Stories: Narrative Theory and Craft
Recent psychological research suggests that human beings are hard-wired for narrative: we remember our pasts, structure our beliefs, and dream in stories. This seminar links literary study and creative writing: the texts include anthologies of short fiction and creative nonfiction, essays on narrative theory, and handbooks for creative and academic writing. Students may choose to research the narrative structures of literary or popular fiction, fairy tales, family histories, religious texts, scientific writing, film, journalism, or Internet sites. Major writing assignments (20-25 pages in total) include a research paper, an argumentative essay, and a portfolio of short fiction and nonfiction. Time will be allotted for information fluency and library research instruction, peer critiques, oral presentations, and individual conferences.
FYS HST: Modernity and its Discontents
Course explores intellectual, artistic, literary, and cultural responses to the transformations associated with modernity in Europe around the turn of the 20th century (urbanization, industrialization, development of "mass" culture, politics, and society).
FYS HST: The Origins of Global Poverty
An exploration of the historical origins of the maldistribution of wealth between the "west" and the "rest" in the contemporary world. Contrasting viewpoints are considered and students are encouraged to explore the differing use of evidence to arrive at their own conclusion.
FYW HST: Can We Make Sense of the Sixties?
This seminar will explore the United States in the 1960’s and early 1970’s and the conflicting political, social, racial, economic, and international forces that shaped American life at that time. Special emphasis will be placed on the civil rights crusade, the rise of the protest tradition, the growth of presidential power, and the emergence of international crises such as the Cuban Missile Crisis and the Vietnam War.
FYW HST: Southern Women: Black and White
This seminar will explore the experiences of southern women from 1800 to the present through the literature written by and about them. The method of study will include: describing the culturally defined image of southern women, tracing the effect of this definition on female behavior, defining how the realities of southern women’s lives were often at odds with the ideal, and examining the struggle of black and white women to confront racism and cultural expectations and to find a way to achieve self-determination.
FYW HST: The Tumultuous Twenties
This seminar will examine the political, social, and cultural history of the United States in the 1920s. During this crucial decade the values of urban America clashed with the traditions of rural America as the culture of the Jazz Age redefined American morals. Nativism, Anglo-Saxon racism, militant Protestantism and prohibition characterized the reaction to a rapidly changing society.
FYW HST: The U.S. Civil War through the Lens of Biography
This seminar will examine the Civil War era using the perspective of biography. In addition to considering biographical interpretations of leaders such as Robert E. Lee, Abraham Lincoln, and Frederick Douglass we will consider memoirs of ordinary participants and approaches such as collective biography. Students will, with guidance from the instructor, have an opportunity to research and write their own biographical interpretations of individuals from the period.
FYS MLL: Language: What It Is and What It Isn't
A general introduction to the phenomenon of language. It will focus on presenting various views on language origin, the facts and fallacies about language, the human vs. animal debate, and the reality as well as the myths of language usage.
FYS MLL: Politics of Religion in German Literature in English Translation
Course examines political impact of religion and its institutions on social fabric of German life at critical points in its historical development (1210, 1525, 1648, 1914, 1933, 1948, 1995) through readings and discussions of significant German authors (in trans.)
FYW MLL: Representing the Holocaust
This course will critically examine the ways in which the Holocaust has been remembered in a variety of texts: history, documentary, photography, witness testimony, comic book, fiction, film, poetry, visual art, and memorial.
FYW PHL: Medicine, Morality and Culture
This course will examine the ways in which our moral and cultural conceptions shape medicine and medical research as well as the ways that medicine and medical research shape our cultural understandings of health, wellness, and normal human functioning. Special attention will be given to historically controversial cases, for example: the Tuskegee Syphilis Study, Nazi human experimentation, the Terri Schiavo case.
FYS PS: The Politics of Good and Evil
This course examines what political psychologists have learned about good and evil and how it is manifested in the political world. The psychological, social and political underpinnings of terrorism, genocide, torture and mass killings will be studied as will the factors contributing to heroic and altruistic political behavior. The course will include a consideration of the ethical/moral requirements for human behavior.
FYS PSY: Callings: Exploration of Vocation
A freshman seminar designed to guide critical reflection on what it means to live a life of significance, one that seeks to make a difference in the world. Study of Biblical, historical, literary and psychological models will facilitate a contextually rich and diverse interpretation of calling.
FYS PSY: Poverty and Development
Scientific exploration of the problem of child and family poverty in the United States and how it affects children’s development. Major areas of focus include health and well being; cognitive, social and emotional development; environment; parenting; and policy issues.
FYW REL: Martyr Tales
This course will focus on early Christian and Jewish martyrdom narratives, with some attention to martyrdom in contemporary discourse. We will analyze primary texts, noting their literary structure, and raising questions concerning the relationship of these literary texts to historical reality. We will raise questions about the religious motivations for writing these texts; as well as the religious motivations that prompt people to sacrifice their lives. We will also probe the question/problem of the relationship of violence to the sacred.
Dr. Fray asked if there was any discussion. Dr. David Rutledge, Religion, asked about the status of an English course "Place, No-Place, Displaced" which had been submitted for Ultimate Questions credit. Dr. Ritter said that had been deferred to APC. Dr. Joe Pollard, Biology, asked if unlisted courses are still in the pipeline. Dr. Ritter said yes, any unlisted course is still under review.
The MOTION PASSED in a voice vote with no opposition.
Dr. Ken Abernethy, Chair, Academic Policies Committee, MOVED that the faculty approve the following courses for CGA, Concentration and Asian-African Credits. Dr. Fray stated the faculty would discuss each section of the recommendations separately, but vote for the report as a whole. Amendments may be made at any time.
Recommended for Visual and Performing Arts (within Core: Human Cultures category) credit:
ART 113: Visual Language III
Continuation of (ART-21) Art 111 with emphasis on color and space. 2 hours of credit. Can count toward the Visual and Performing Arts CGA credit when paired with another approved two-hour credit ART studio course.
ART 124: Drawing I
A study of drawing, including the elements of art and composition, with extensive exercises from direct observation, including one- and two-point perspective. A variety of drawing media are explored. Can count toward the Visual and Performing Arts CGA credit when paired with another approved two-hour credit ART studio course.
ART 205: Photography I
Introductory black-and-white photography course that encourages visual communication and introduces photo history. Technical components include camera operation, film processing and darkroom printing.
FYS: Studying Paintings with Poems
This course will focus on developing an appreciation of the visual arts through reading and writing poems focused on paintings. (Bill Aarnes)
MUS 111: Basic Muscianship I
Introduction to music fundamentals, basic principles of voice leading, and harmonic progression through development of complementary skills in analysis, composition, improvisation, music technology, sight-singing, ear training, and at the keyboard.
Dr. Fray asked if there was any discussion on courses recommended for Visual and Performing Arts credit (within Core: Human Cultures category) credit. There was no discussion on the courses.
Dr. Rutledge asked about "Place, No-Place, Displaced" an English course submitted for Ultimate Questions credit and Dr. Abernethy replied that the committee is still reviewing that course and it will be on the February agenda. Dr. Pollard, Biology, asked if a course does not appear is it still in the pipeline. Dr. Abernethy said yes, and if a course is not approved for a credit by the committee, the involved faculty member will be notified.
Recommended for Natural World (within Core: Empirical Studies category) credit:
BIO 101: Principles of Biology
Study of the basic principles common to living organisms, including cell and molecular biology, genetics, organismal physiology, ecology, evolution. All sections address these topics, but the focus for each may vary. A description of section topics is available each term. Course is designed for non-science majors.
CHM 110: Foundations of Chemistry
Introduction to the principles of chemistry. Topics include atomic and molecular structure and chemical bonding, stoichiometry, properties of the states of matter, and energetics of chemical reactions with emphasis on problem solving, conceptual understanding, and analytical reasoning. The laboratory component focuses on quantitative measurements and interpretation of data.
CHM 120: Organic Chemistry
Emphasis on the application of chemical principles to carbon compounds. Physical and chemical properties of the major organic functional groups, an introduction to stereochemistry, molecular stability, spectroscopy, and related concepts of organic compounds are covered. Laboratory emphasizes reaction set-ups, recrystallization, distillation, extraction, and chromatography.
EES 110: Earth Systems
An introduction to Earth as an evolving, integrated, and cyclic system. Examination of major surficial and internal Earth processes that shape the human environment and control the distribution of geologic resources such as water, fossil fuels, strategic minerals, and soils.
EES 111: Earth Science and the Silver Screen
Basic concepts of earth and environmental sciences by exploring the portrayal of these concepts in mainstream television and film.
Dr. Fray asked if there was any discussion on courses recommended for Natural World (within Core: Empirical Studies category) credit. There was no discussion.
Recommended for Global Awareness: Humans and Their Natural Environment credit:
EES 111: Earth Science and the Silver Screen
Basic concepts of earth and environmental sciences by exploring the portrayal of these concepts in mainstream television and film.
Dr. Fray asked if there was any discussion on courses recommended for Global Awareness: Humans and Their Natural Environment credit. There was no discussion.
Recommended for Human Behavior (within Core: Empirical Studies category) credit:
ECN 242: Health Economics
Uses tools of economics to examine the health services industry. Influences of government on supply and demand for services and development of private and public insurance products are examined, as are interactions among medical technology, demand, and insurance. Additional topics include managed care, international comparisons, and current reform proposals.
ECN 247: History of Economic Thought
Development of economic thought from preclassical writers through Adam Smith, the classical economists, socialist, marginalist, neoclassical and institutional writers to the present.
ECN 250: Labor Economics
The study of labor markets from both the firms' and workers' perspectives. Trends and relationships pertaining to the gender, race, age and educational composition of the workforce are discussed, as are worker mobility training and productivity. Major policies that affect labor markets (e.g., minimum wage, social security) are also examined.
ECN 251: Economics of China
This course examines the causes and effects of economic development and structural reforms of the fastest-growing and largest developing country—China. We emphasize a political economy approach due to the state dominance in the Chinese economy.
PSY 111: General Psychology
Comprehensive introduction to psychology as a behavioral science through a survey of historical, empirical, and theoretical perspectives of psychological research. Topics may include biological bases of behavior, development, learning, personality, cognition, perception, motivation, behavior disorders, and social psychology. Students must either participate in research projects or write summaries of published research articles.
PSY 225: Social Psychology
Scientific study of how people think about, influence, and relate to one another. Focus on how variables external to people (including other people, the social context, and aspects of the situation) influence thoughts and behavior. Examples of topics covered are attribution, self, aggression, altruism, prejudice, and group dynamics.
Dr. Fray asked if there was any discussion on courses recommended for Human Behavior (within Core: Empirical Studies category) credit. There was no discussion.
Recommended for Global Awareness: World Cultures credit:
ECN 251: Economics of China
This course examines the causes and effects of economic development and structural reforms of the fastest-growing and largest developing country—China. We emphasize a political economy approach due to the state dominance in the Chinese economy.
ENG 473: Gender in South Asian Literature and Film
Through a reading of literary and filmic texts this course will introduce students to the various debates over the representations of masculinity and femininity as these categories intersect with other forms of identity and belonging such as caste/class, nation, race, and sexuality.
MUS 220: World Music
An examination of music from selected regions of the world. Emphasis will be on understanding the culture, meaning, and identities found in music outside the western European paradigm.
SPN 240: Latin American Civilization
Introduction to Latin America through its Iberian, indigenous, and African heritage; its social institutions; it religious and social customs, festivals, and folklore; its languages and other systems of communication; its literature and arts; and its diversions and cuisine.
Dr. Fray asked if there was any discussion on courses recommended for Global Awareness: World Cultures credit. There was no discussion.
Recommended for Analysis of Texts (within Core: Human Cultures category) credit:
ENG 301: Literature Before Print
Literature Before Print focuses on medieval English literature. The course explores the differences between the way medieval people read—their experience of reading and their training as interpreters of texts—and the way we read today. We will consider the complexity and variance of texts created in a pre-print world. For example, we will talk about what it is like to read a poem in an eleventh-century manuscript, and then what it is like to read a related poem carved on a seventh-century stone monument. We'll talk about how editors argue about the correct order of the Canterbury Tales and discuss why Beowulf appears in manuscript with travel narratives and saints' lives. Students will be introduced to canonical and non-canonical texts of the medieval English period, discussed with a focus on the question of what it meant to read in the Middle Ages.
ENG 305: British Romantic Literature
The course will study the major writers and some less well-known figures from the period 1790-1830: the poets Blake, Wordsworth, Coleridge, Byron, P. B. Shelley, and Keats; the novelists Austen and Scott; the essayists Hazlitt, Lamb, and De Quincey; and others like Mary Shelley, Godwin, and Clare. Students will be introduced to both literary and critical writing of the period as well as to the current critical and theoretical issues, mainly rhetorical and historical, that engagement with these writers entails.
ENG 308: Renaissance Epic
Considers the nature and purpose of the epic in the European Renaissance through a close study of Dante’s Divine Comedy, Ariosto’s Orlando Furioso, Spenser’s Faerie Queene, and Milton’s Paradise Lost. Renaissance theories of allegory and genre and the cultural work of these epics are explored.
ENG 313: English Poetics
Study of theoretical statements by poets and major critics in the British and American tradition, in conjunction with study of poems presumably written according to the principles articulated in those theoretical statements. Special attention to major recurring issues in poetic theory and practice.
ENG 406: Religious Poetry in English
Study of selected religious poets writing in English in the Christian tradition, from the seventeenth century to the present. Special attention to the function of metaphor in rendering religious experience.
ENG 424: Utopian and Dystopian Literature
The tentative proposition underlying this course is that every utopian and/or dystopian text is committed to a politico-ethical as well as distinctly literary project. The challenge of the course is to consider how these projects are related, but also how it may be possible, even necessary—given the idiosyncrasies of utopian and dystopian texts—to regard them as one and the same project. In reading works such as Plato's Republic, Thomas More's Utopia, Jonathan Swift's Gulliver's Travels, William Morris's News from Nowhere, Yevgeny Zamyatin's We, and Kim Stanley Robinson's Red Mars, our starting premise will be that the utopian/dystopian text responds to an ethical demand, an obligation to imagine another time, another place (topos), and that acting upon this demand requires a leap of the literary imagination. Utopian and dystopian texts are topoi where ethics and aesthetics intersect to make specific demands on the reader, but also to demand each other’s cooperation (no aesthetics without ethics, no ethics without aesthetics in the utopian/dystopian text).
ENG 473: Gender in South Asian Literature and Film
Through a reading of literary and filmic texts this course will introduce students to the various debates over the representations of masculinity and femininity as these categories intersect with other forms of identity and belonging such as caste/class, nation, race, and sexuality.
FR 331: French Literature and Civilization I
An interdisciplinary introduction to French civilization, literature and fine arts from their beginnings to 1600.
PS 295: Issues in Political Thought
Examination of selected moral and political themes in light of the tradition of political thought, based on careful analysis of classic texts in political thought as well as the writings of contemporary scholars and public intellectuals.
SPN 310: Foreign Study in Spanish Literature
Part of the study abroad curriculum. Overview of contemporary peninsular literature, with concentration on the drama. Readings and discussion of modern plays, with viewing of selected works in Madrid theaters.
SPN 331: Survey of Spanish Literature I
Introduction to representative authors and works from Spanish Medieval, Renaissance, and Baroque literature.
SPN 332: Survey of Spanish Literature II
Survey of the major movements, principal authors, and representative works in Spanish literature since 1700.
SPN 361: Survey of Spanish-American Literature
Introduction to the major authors and representative works of Spanish America, with concentration on the age of Modernism to the present.
SPN 411: Golden Age Spanish Drama
Reading and discussion of Spanish dramatic works of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, including selections by Lope de Vega, Tirso de Molina, Ruiz de Alarcón, and Calderón.
SPN 412: Cervantes
Emphasis on Don Quixote, one of the masterpieces of world literature, with additional readings from Cervantes's Novelas ejemplares and Entremeses.
SPN 417: 19th Century Spanish Realism and the Generation of 1898
Readings and discussion of major works of Spanish peninsular literature from the age of Realism (c. 1850) through the Generation of 1898, including works by Galdós, Unamuno, Benavente, Valle-Inclán, and Pío Baroja.
SPN 420: Spanish Literature of the 20th Century
Survey of predominant literary movements, writers, and works (essay, short story, novel, drama, and poetry) of twentieth-century Spain from the period following the Generation of 1898 to the present.
SPN 430: Readings in Spanish Literature
In-depth focus on a period, movement, author, or genre. Possible topics might include Spanish picaresque literature, literature after the Spanish Civil War, Twentieth-Century Spanish drama, etc. May be repeated once with change of topic.
SPN 440: Spanish-American Narrative
Study of the development of the Spanish-American narrative from the period of Discovery and Conquest to the present, with emphasis on contemporary writing. Indigenous works such as the Mayan Popol Vuh are also considered. Examination of historiography, the essay, novels, and short stories.
SPN 445: Latin American Women’s Literature
Survey of literature by Latin American women from Colonial times to the present, including all major genres. A study of the evolution of women's thought from the private realm of convent and home to the public arena of politics, women's rights and the environmental movement.
SPN 460: Readings in Spanish-American Literature
In-depth focus on a period, movement, author or genre. Possible topics might include contemporary Spanish-American Poetry, Gabriel García Márquez, Dissidence in Spanish American Literature, etc. May be repeated once with a change in topic.
SPN 470: Senior Seminar in Spanish
The opportunity to address a topic, period, author, or genre in depth. The student is provided a chance to synthesize the experience of previous course work in a research project. Approved for this offering only.
Dr. Fray asked if there was any discussion on courses recommended for Analysis of Texts (within Core: Human Cultures category) credit. There was no discussion.
Recommended for Core: Human Cultures: Historical Analysis credit:
HST 103: Early Modern Europe, c. 1450 – c. 1715
Examination of the European social, intellectual, political, cultural, and religious developments from the era of Renaissance and Reformation through the Age of Absolutism. Key themes include the Italian Renaissance, voyages of exploration, colonialism, printing press, Protestant and Catholic reformations, Scientific Revolution, religious wars, absolutism and constitutionalism, witch craze.
HST 104: Modern Europe, 1715 – present
Course surveys the history of Europe from the time of the Enlightenment to the present. Major themes include: the Enlightenment; French Revolution; nationalism, socialism, liberalism; imperialism; the World Wars; fascism and communism; the Holocaust; post-WWII reconstruction and the Cold War; decolonization, citizenship, immigration; the end of communism, market integration, a common currency, and the evolution of the European Union; globalization.
HST 121: North America and the United States to 1877
An examination of North American history to 1877 in the context of western traditions and global interactions.
HST 122: United States since 1877
An examination of North American history from 1877 to the present in the context of western traditions and global interactions.
Dr. Fray asked if there was any discussion on courses recommended for Core: Human Cultures: Historical Analysis credit. There were no questions.
Recommended for Core: Ultimate Questions credit:
FYS: The Politics of Good and Evil
This course examines what political psychologists have learned about good and evil and how it is manifested in the political world. The psychological, social and political underpinnings of terrorism, genocide, torture and mass killings will be studied as will the factors contributing to heroic and altruistic political behavior. The course will include a consideration of the ethical/moral requirements for human behavior. (Liz Smith)
FYS: Callings: Exploration of Vocation
A freshman seminar designed to guide critical reflection on what it means to live a life of significance, one that seeks to make a difference in the world. Study of Biblical, historical, literary and psychological models will facilitate a contextually rich and diverse interpretation of calling. (Elaine Nocks)
Dr. Fray asked if there was any discussion on courses recommended for Core: Ultimate Questions credit. There was no discussion.
The MOTION PASSED for all courses recommended for CGA credit.
Dr. Fray then said we would use the procedure of Consideration by Paragraph for those courses recommended for Concentration and Asian-African credit.
Recommended for Black Cultures in America Concentration credit:
REL 232: African-American Religious History
This course will survey a number of prominent figures, themes, issues, and developments in African-American religion in the United States. This course examines a variety of figures and how their thought shaped and continues to shape African-American religious expression.
REL 344: Black Liberation and Womanist Theology
This seminar is an in-depth examination of the history, provocations, themes in and critics of black liberation theology and womanist theology. Black liberation theology was created by James Cone as a theological response to the burgeoning Black Power movement of the late 1960s. Womanist theology developed later as a response to the masculinist rhetoric of both the Black Power movement and the first articulators of black liberation theology. Both theological orientations have argued that white supremacy threatens black life in America and that the black church must confront the “death-dealing” forces of white racism and supremacist thought. In this class, we will examine the writings of James Cone, Dwight Hopkins, Emilie Townes, Katie Cannon, and Jacquelyn Grant. We will examine the ways in which these writers construct “blackness” and the role of Christian theology and ethics in addressing black oppression and white supremacy. We will also look at critics of black liberation and womanist theology. We will examine the writings of critics like Anthony B. Pinn and Victor Anderson and interrogate their critiques of black liberation and womanist thought.
Recommended for Women and Gender Studies Concentration credit:
ENG 473: Gender in South Asian Literature and Film
Through a reading of literary and filmic texts this course will introduce students to the various debates over the representations of masculinity and femininity as these categories intersect with other forms of identity and belonging such as caste/class, nation, race, and sexuality.
HST 264: Gender and Technology in East Asia
The course explores social and material structures (technologies) that have shaped gender roles in East Asia, looking at mostly Chinese, Japanese, and Korean experiences. This deliberately broad definition allows for historically tracing the interaction between social norms, material artifacts, and cultural change from the16th century to the present.
REL 95: Women and Power in Hinduism
Exploration into Hindu women’s religious lives and the female nature of power in Hindu cosmology, mythology, and society. Close attention is given to the complex interrelationships among mythic, domestic, and economic gender hierarchies, particularly in the contemporary cultural context.
Recommended for Latin American Studies Concentration credit:
HST 244: Revolution in Modern Latin America
An exploration of revolutionary movements in modern Latin America, considering their origins, evolution and outcomes. Case studies and a comparative methodology are likely. Possible cases are Mexico, Cuba and Nicaragua. The role of the United States will be considered.
IDS 95: Indians and the State in Latin America
Examination of the history and politics of Indigenous peoples in Latin America and their interactions with the state in the twentieth century. Special emphasis will be placed on the construction of ethnic identity and the state’s role in shaping that process.
Recommended for Asian-African credit:
HST A95: Court Cultures: Early Modern France and Japan
This course will examine, from a cross-cultural perspective, the inner workings of court societies. Based on seventeenth- and eighteenth-century France and Japan, this course introduces and critically addresses the concepts of court society, feudalism, and absolutism.
HST A95: African Slavery and the External Slave Trades
This course is designed to provide a comprehensive and comparative overview of slavery within Africa, and the Trans-Atlantic, Trans-Saharan, and Indian Ocean slave trades.
REL A95: Women and Power in Hinduism
Exploration into Hindu women’s religious lives and the female nature of power in Hindu cosmology, mythology, and society. Close attention is given to the complex interrelationships among mythic, domestic, and economic gender hierarchies, particularly in the contemporary cultural context.
AS A95: The Ramayana: Gods, Myths, and Moral Dilemmas
In this course we will examine various versions (text, film, television, etc.) of the Indian epic Ramayana with the intention of addressing the profound and long lasting influence this narrative has had on the religion, morals, culture, politics, and society of South and Southeast Asia.
Dr. Rutledge, Religion, asked if APC intended to give background information for their rationale for decisions. Dr. Abernethy replied that they have not done it routinely for each course but are willing to do it for any course if required or requested. All proposals are posted and any new information requested by the committee is incorporated into the proposal. Dr. Abernethy also said some of the numbering needs to be edited and Mr. Barron is working on the renumbering.
The MOTION PASSED in a voice vote with no opposition.
Dr. Ken Abernethy, Chair, APC, MOVED that the faculty approve the changes to the History major as described below by the History Department.
Explanatory Statement to APC and the Faculty Regarding a Proposed New
History Curriculum to be Implemented for 2008-09 Academic Year
The History Department wishes to provide a more clearly structured educational experience for its majors and a greater range of choices for non-majors seeking to fulfill their Historical Analysis Core Requirement. Our proposal therefore creates three distinct levels of history courses: foundation courses, advanced courses, and senior seminars.
Foundation courses are surveys with two basic goals. First, they acquaint students with major historical developments over a broad expanse of time and space in order to help them contextualize what they will learn in more detailed history courses and in other courses throughout the university. Second, foundation courses introduce students to basic historical skills and historiographical concepts, including the distinction between primary and secondary sources and the question of how far historical knowledge can be objective. All foundation courses are numbered in the 100s, and, pending APC and faculty approval, will carry Historical Analysis credit, since these courses are designed for majors and non-majors alike. History majors will have to take at least one foundation course on North American history, one on European history, and one that examines the history of Asia, Africa, or Latin America. The History Department feels that these foundation courses will perform the same contextualizing function currently fulfilled by History 11, in a manner that will work better with the new calendar and curriculum.
Advanced courses will focus intensively on more defined time periods, places, or themes. In these courses, students will come to grips with particular historiographical schools or debates that have arisen in relation to specific events or issues. History majors will be required to take at least three advanced courses. Normally, all students enrolling in an advanced course will be expected to have completed at least one foundation course as a prerequisite. However, instructors of advanced courses may waive the prerequisite for non-majors in cases where an individual student seems capable of taking an advanced course. Such waivers may be helpful to students who wish to take advanced courses to satisfy concentration requirements. (Note: the subject matter of the foundation course taken as a prerequisite need not overlap with the subject matter of the advanced course, since the important point is that students will need the skills inculcated at foundation level to handle the demands of the advanced courses.) With the exception of certain Study Away courses, advanced courses will not carry Historical Analysis Core credit. All advanced courses will be numbered in the 200s and 300s.
Senior Seminars will provide students with research experience that will serve as a capstone for the major and as a possible preparation for graduate school. The Senior Seminars will be linked to another new feature of the history major: more intensive advising, with the specific goal of encouraging majors to integrate the knowledge gained in their various classes. On declaring a major in history, students will begin to compile a portfolio of their best work in their history and other relevant courses and they will be given regular opportunities to discuss with their peers their evolving ideas about history and about what it means to be an historian. Majors will begin each Senior Seminar by writing an essay reflecting on the larger significance of what they have learned throughout their undergraduate experience, so that the capstone course serves as an effective culmination of their entire education. All Senior Seminars will be numbered 475.
Finally, all majors will be required to take at least one pre-modern course. While geographic spread is one valuable way of ensuring that students encounter a wide range of cultures in their academic work, the pre-modern period uniquely enables students to explore societies completely unlike their own.
If approved, the following requirements would appear in the Furman Catalogue:
History
A major program in history consists of at least nine courses, which must include:
at least three Foundation courses (history courses numbered in the 100s),
at least three Advanced courses (history courses numbered in the 200s and 300s),
and one Senior Seminar (HST 475).
One of the Foundation courses must focus on European history (HST 101-104), one on North American history (HST 121 or 122), and one on the history of Africa, Asia, or Latin America (HST 140-169).
Majors must complete any one Foundation course before enrolling in any Advanced course.
Majors must complete at least one history course that is designated “pre-modern” in the catalog.
One First Year Seminar carrying Historical Analysis credit and taught by a member of the History Department may count towards the major, but may not count as one of the three required Foundation courses.
All exceptions to major requirements must be approved by the department chair.
Dr. Fray asked if there was any discussion. There was no discussion and the MOTION PASSED in a voice vote with no opposition.
Dr. Ken Abernethy, Chair, APC, MOVED that the faculty approve the changes to the Philosophy major as described below by the Philosophy Department.
Proposed Changes to the Philosophy Major Requirements
With the goal of adding flexibility and diversity to the Philosophy major, the Philosophy Department requests approval of the following changes to its major requirements:
1) Modify the requirement for both PHL 201 (Ancient Philosophy) and PHL 202 (Modern Philosophy) to require instead two courses chosen from PHL 201, PHL 202, PHL 203 (19th Century Philosophy), PHL 204 (American Philosophy), and PHL 205 (20th Century Philosophy).
2) Add a requirement for one course chosen from non-Western philosophy courses [there are currently 6 choices: PHL 220 (Realizing Bodymind: Whole Person Development), PHL 221 (Indian Philosophy), PHL 222 (Chinese Philosophy), PHL 223 (Japanese Philosophy), PHL 230 (Latin American Philosophy), and PHL 240 (Africana Philosophies)].
Dr. Fray asked if there was any discussion. There was no discussion. The MOTION PASSED with a voice vote and no opposition.
Dr. Lorraine Dejong, Chair, Policies and Procedures Committee, MOVED that the faculty approve the following changes to Policy 158.5 Eligibility for Academic Administrators for Tenure.
158.5 Eligibility for Academic Administrators for Tenure
Created by: Pat Teague on 2/5/1999
Category: 1 - Academic Affairs; 50 - Faculty Status
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Originator: Acad. Adm. & Faculty Status Committee
Current File: 158.5
Adoption Date: 1/15/1999
Reviewed for Currency: 1/15/1999
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Replaces File: 158.5
Date of Origin: 9/19/1977
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Classification: Faculty
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In Archive? No
158.5 Eligibility for Academic Administrators for Tenure
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A. Background
Furman has a number of academic administrators who teach and/or have other academic responsibilities and who have been excluded from eligibility for tenure by the policy requiring "full-time teaching" experience. (See File 158.4.) That policy discriminates unduly against administrators holding academic rank who plan to return to full-time teaching.
Furman University adheres to the 1940 AAUP statement on "Academic Freedom and Tenure." Tenure may be extended to administrators. In cases where tenured faculty members assume administrative positions, the retention of tenure is not automatic and depends on the type of position accepted.
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B. Policy
Under certain conditions some academic administrators who have faculty status and rank in an academic department may qualify for tenure.
The President and the Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean may be appointed with tenure in an academic department. Under certain conditions, some academic administrators who have faculty status and rank in an academic department may be considered for tenure. Non-academic administrators are ineligible for tenure. Tenured faculty members who move into non-academic administrative positions forfeit tenure, but may be considered for reinstatement upon return to the faculty or to an academic administrative position.
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C. Guidelines
1. Any academic administrator or program coordinator who devotes half or more of his or her official job-load to teaching credit courses may be considered for tenure. For example, an academic dean or director of an academic program or division who teaches half-time or more can qualify for tenure. The probationary period will be the same as for full-time teachers.
1. Any academic administrator or program coordinator who devotes half or more of his or her official job-load to teaching credit courses may be considered for tenure. For example, an assistant academic dean or director of an academic program who teaches half-time or more may be considered for tenure. The probationary period will be the same as for full-time teachers.
2. A person who was first employed as a full-time teacher and who served for a year or more in that capacity but later was given administrative duties in the academic program will be considered for tenure. The combined duties as teacher and administrator will count in the probationary period as though he were teaching full time. However, any year in which he does not teach cannot be counted in the probationary period.
2. A person who was first employed with a full-time teaching load and who served for a year or more in that capacity but later was given administrative duties in the academic program may be considered for tenure. The combined duties as instructor and administrator will count in the probationary period as though he or she were a full-time faculty member. However, any year in which he or she does not teach cannot be counted in the probationary period.
3. A person who satisfies Guidelines 1 and 2 above will not perforce be awarded tenure if there is not a bona fide need for his services as teacher.
3. An administrator normally will not be considered for tenure if the Dean, in consultation with the department, determines there is no need for him or her to teach courses.
4. If Guideline 3 applies to an administrator who has served the probationary period, it will not be mandatory to release him or her if he or she cannot be awarded tenure. In such a case he or she may be retained because of his or her status as an administrator.
4. If an administrator is denied tenure, he or she may be retained in an administrative position.
5. An administrator cannot be considered for tenure in his administrative position.
5. An academic administrator must hold faculty rank in an academic department to be considered for tenure. (See File 158.4, Guideline 2 for Tenure Procedures.) That is, an administrator cannot be considered for tenure in his or her administrative position.
6. An academic administrator must hold faculty rank in an academic department if he or she is to be considered for tenure. A recommendation for granting of tenure from the department chair will be necessary for the consideration.
6. A tenured faculty member who moves into an academic administrative position retains tenure.
7. A person who was originally hired as a full-time teacher and who subsequently was granted tenure, and who thereafter is moved into a nonacademic administrative position, will not be considered to be on tenure even though he or she may teach on a part-time (less than half a full load) basis. For example, if a full-time teacher were made business manager of the University (a "full-time" administrative position), in effect he would forfeit his or her tenure as a member of the faculty. Of course, should he subsequently leave his or her administrative position all reasonable efforts would be made to renew his or her faculty affiliation (and tenure) if such was his desire.
7. A tenured faculty member who moves into a non-academic administrative position forfeits tenure. If that person subsequently leaves the administrative position, his or her faculty affiliation and tenure may be reinstated by the Board of Trustees after receiving recommendations from the relevant academic department, from the Faculty Status Committee, from the Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean, and from the President.
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Dr. Fray asked if there was any discussion. Dr. Dejong provided background information. Each academic year Policies and Procedures selects one-fifth of all policies for detailed review. The policy is sent to the originator(s) for review and then returned to the committee for further review. If there are only minor changes recommended then it goes to the consent agenda. When the recommended changes are substantive, then it becomes an agenda item for a faculty meeting.
Dr. Bill Rogers, English, asked if there is a clear statement on who is an academic administrator. Dr. Dejong said that one of the goals of the revision was to make the definition clearer but she would defer to Dean Kazee or a member of the Faculty Status Committee. Dean Kazee stated that he and Mr. Berg have no definition but there are some positions that are clearly academic administrators. Dr. Rogers stated he would be happier with the policy if there was a clear listing of academic administrators. Dr. Dejong replied that this is going to change with the reorganization of senior administrators and the committee’s job is merely to review the policy.
Dr. Ty Tessitore, Political Science, asked if the policy would have to be amended with the reorganization. Dean Kazee replied that the reorganization requires that all policies and procedures be reviewed and updated before the recruitment for the Dean of Faculty. It would be appropriate to approve the policy now and then it will be revised with others on the consent agenda at a future faculty meeting.
Dr. Rutledge asked about guideline C. 1., which concerns administrators who devote half or more of his or her official job-load to teaching credit courses and queried what constitutes “half” a job-load and how is that determined. Dean Kazee answered that this is determined in context. In some cases it would be three classes, but in the sciences with the lab portion of classes it could be defined as 10 hours. Dr. Dejong asked Dr. Rutledge if he felt it needed to be more specific. Dr. Rutledge said that if one assumes that an administrative load and a full-time teaching load are equivalent, then it makes sense.
Dr. John Beckford, Music, asked about definitions concerning a director of an academic program and asked how an academic program is defined and who will determine if someone is a director of one. His concern is about who is eligible for tenure; Furman is hiring people to direct programs who are not engaged in teaching as we have traditionally defined teaching and asked who determines what category these people fall into and if they are eligible for tenure. When Dr. Dejong asked him if he felt it should be clearer, Dr. Beckford replied that it would help him to know who is determining who fits into which category. However, Dr. Beckford said he was not prepared to make an amendment. Dr. Wright, Chemistry, stated that part of the confusion is that the policy was revised three years ago but it is just now appearing on the agenda. It is a confusing policy and the committee under the leadership of Dr. Wright tried to clarify it. Dr. Dejong inherited the review of this policy when she became chair. Dr. Wright suggested that if the faculty felt it needed more work to send it back to committee.
Dr. Rogers, English, MOVED that the policy be sent back to the Faculty Status Committee, the originator of the policy, to clarify which academic administrators are affected by this policy. There followed a discussion on other points that need to be clarified, e.g. program directors. Dr. Rogers accepted a friendly amendment that the Faculty Status Committee clarify all areas of the policy that were noted as not well defined in the meeting.
The MOTION, as amended, to send Policy 158.5 back to the Faculty Status Committee PASSED by voice vote with no opposition.
IV. NEW BUSINESS.
There was no new business.
V. ANNOUNCEMENTS.
Dr. Tom Kazee, Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean, stood in for President Shi and informed the faculty of the major actions at the October meeting of the Board of Trustees. The Trustees approved the launch of a major fund-raising campaign with a goal of $400 million by the year 2011.
The Trustees also unanimously approved the Strategic Plan which will serve as a blueprint for the university and recognized the parallelism between the fund-raising campaign and the ability to implement the strategic plan.
The Trustees approved the schematic design for a new theater arts building which means they have approved the next step, but not the building. Having a schematic design allows Furman to change the conceptual drawings into a more accurate representation of the actual proposed building.
Dean Kazee then reported on activities from the Dean’s office. There are several searches in process. He hopes there will be an announcement soon on the new Vice President for Student Services. The search is underway for the new Assistant Dean for CTEL. The job announcement for the position is posted. The search for the new Vice President for Enrollment is just getting established. The position description is still in draft and the search committee will be named soon. Dr. Laura Wright, Chemistry, has been named chair for the search committee for the Dean of the Faculty. Their first job will be to formulate a job description and post the position. Once this process is complete they will indentify a pool of candidates and then make a recommendation to President Shi and then Provost Kazee. While it would be nice to have the Dean of the Faculty in place in January, the higher priority is to handle the process well and build a strong pool.
Dr. Fray then introduced Dr. Harry Shucker, Vice President for Student Services. Dr. Shucker has been Vice President for Student Services since 1985. After 40 years of service to Furman, Dr. Shucker will be retiring at the end of December. Dr. Shucker thanked the faculty for their support during his tenure as Vice President for Student Services. He stated that one of his greatest joys has been working with faculty; both when called about individual students and also when participating on committees which dealt with students and such things as discipline. Without a committed faculty he felt he would not have been as effective as he was able to be. The faculty awarded Dr. Shucker a standing ovation.
Dr. Lynn Shackleford, Chair, Implementation Task Force thanked the faculty for working so hard to meet the November 1, 2007 deadline for course proposals. The committee has passed along recommendations to APC committee concerning allowing emeritus faculty to teach first year seminars and to establish a B.S. degree in the new curriculum. The committee is in the midst of sharing information about the new curriculum and calendar to students, staff, alumni, and parents. The committee will now start focusing on the May experience and will be ready for proposals in February.
Dr. Janis Bandelin, Director of Libraries, informed the faculty that several policy revisions will be coming to the faculty for a vote. One of them is a Policy 155.5 update which concerns the corresponding rank of library faculty. Other issues in the policies concern evaluation and promotion of librarians. Once the policies are approved by the Faculty Status Committee and the Policies and Procedures Committee, AAUP will sponsor a forum. Dr. Bandelin encouraged faculty to read the documents when they are available and voice any questions or concerns. Dr. Fray also encouraged faculty to read the documents as they are somewhat complex and it is an important issue. It is possible that the documents will appear on the February agenda.
Dr. Stanley Crowe, Chair, First Year Seminar Oversight Committee, said he was very pleased and grateful to announce that at the November 1 deadline, 112 FYS proposals had been submitted, 78 have been approved, 34 have no action as of now, and about 4 have not yet reached the committee. Of the 112 FYS submitted proposals, 57 are writing seminars and 55 are regular. To meet the schedule demands Furman will need 110 sections per year, so it is looking quite good. Dr. Crowe thanked Dr. Abernethy and Dr. Ritter for their work concerning the first year seminars.
Before students see the FYS course descriptions they will have been standardized to about 1000 characters, which is approximately 150 words. The committee will not drastically standardize the descriptions without consulting the course proposer.
At the Department Chairs meeting, chairs will be asked to specify faculty members who are teaching writing and/or regular seminars. Dr. Shelley Matthews, Religion, asked if the committee had looked at clustering. Dr. Crowe replied they would try to have something useful for faculty once the course descriptions had been edited. Dr. John Snyder, Biology, asked about the approval process for the following years. Dr. Crowe replied that once a course is approved it is approved for subsequent years. The committee will soon make another appeal for additional courses.
Mr. Bill Berg encouraged faculty to fill out the survey sent out via e-mail concerning higher education research. This survey is conducted every 3 years. He assured faculty of the confidentiality of the surveys. The results will be made available.
Dr. Wright, Chair, Search Committee for Dean of the Faculty, reported that the search committee is in the very beginning stages, having met with Dean Kazee yesterday. The Dean and the committee are just beginning to work on a draft of the job description. The process will definitely go into January. Dr. Wright encouraged all to consider and nominate potential candidates.
VI. ADJOURNMENT.
There being no further business the meeting was adjourned at 4:46 p.m.
There was no Open Forum.
Respectfully submitted,
Victoria Welborn
Faculty Recorder
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Minutes
Furman University Faculty Meeting
October 10, 2007
Watkins Room, University Center
Before the meeting was called to order, President Shi led the faculty in honoring Dr. John E. Johns who passed away on September 27, 2007. Dr. Johns was the 9th president of Furman University and served as President for 18 years. Dr. Shi commented that perhaps the most significant aspect of President Johns’ legacy was his vision and leadership in separating Furman from the South Carolina Baptist Convention. President Shi led the faculty in a round of applause to acknowledge and thank Dr. Johns for his service.
I. CALL TO ORDER.
II. CONSENT AGENDA. (posted)
Dr. Fray asked whether anyone wished to consider the items on the consent agenda (approval of minutes, report of approved special topics courses, and approval of the review resulting in no change of Policy 151.2.). There being no such requests, the consent agenda was approved by general consent.
Dr. Fray stated that he would continue the practice of putting the special topics courses which have been approved by the Curriculum Committee on the consent agenda. The following special topics courses were listed:
BA 95: International Financial Management (4 credit course)
A study of international markets and the financial operations that take place in those markets. The financial aspects and operations of multinational corporations are highlighted. Key topics covered include exchange rate behavior and risk management, financing of international operations, and international capital budgeting.
BA 95: The Sustainable Corporation (4 credit course)
Exposes students to business applications of sustainable development and corporate strategies based on economic, environmental and social criteria. Demonstrates how the corporate world plays a central role in making progress toward sustainability. Focus on the inter-relatedness of business and natural systems, and how corporations use sustainability as a value driver.
BA 95: Organizational Performance & Behavior Analysis (4 credit course)
Introduction to fundamental principles and methods of Behavior Analysis as applied to performance improvement in organizations. Students will interview local business managers/owners, learn to pinpoint areas for performance improvement, develop measurement systems, and design and evaluate evidence-based solutions to performance-based workplace deficiencies.
CHN 95: Chinese Reading & Writing (4 credit course)
This course concludes the 3rd year study of Chinese at Furman. Based on the two lower-level, conversation-oriented 3rd year Chinese courses, this course emphaizes reading and writing in Chinese. It familiarizes students with "shumian yu," that is, modern writtten language that uses expressions and rhetorics that are different from daily oral communication.
ECN 95: Law and Economics (4 credit course)
This course will explore the field of law and economics using standard microeconomic tools to examine torts, contract law, property law, and the theory and empirical evidence on criminal behavior.
HES 280: Scientific Principles of Coaching (4 credit course)
Concepts of coaching from the theoretical, to the practical application of program design. Includes lectures covering current theories on training programs; discussions in which students discuss case studies; and a lab where students test athletes and practice training modes. Lab required.
PS 95: South Carolina Politics and Policy (4 credit course)
This course focuses on the environment, constitutional underpinnings, political parties, interest groups, institutions, and public policies of South Carolina government. It is taken while serving as an intern in the South Carolina General Assembly.
PS 95: Fieldwork in State Legislatures (4 credit course)
Through 24-hour per week internships, students chronicle their experiences in the South Carolina General Assembly and see how they relate to the literature on state legislatures. The course endeavors to leave students with a richer understanding of the representation process.
PSY 95: Applied Developmental Psychology (4 credit course)
Students will read, interpret, and critique theory and empirical research on a wide range of topics related to Developmental Psychology. Areas of focus will include language, perspective-taking, problem-solving, play, gender, and friendships. An important part of the course is laboratory experience at an area childcare facility.
PSY 95: Psychoneuroimmunology (4 credit course)
This course will explore research linking psychological characteristics such as stress, coping and social support, with the endocrine and immune systems, including implications regarding the onset and course of disease. Students will read primary sources and empirical articles to understand how knowledge is obtained in this area of research. Brief reports, mini-presentations and a research proposal will be required.
REL 95: African & African American Religious History (4 credit course)
The course surveys prominent figures, themes, issues, & developments in Black religious traditions in the Americas. It begins with the spread of African religious traditions throughout the African Diaspora, and how major figures in that history have shaped African American religious expression.
REL 95: New Research on Muhammad and the Qur’an (4 credit course)
Exploration of recent research on the Life of Muhammad and the origins of the Qur’an. Special attention is given to recent hypotheses that radically challenge traditional Muslim understandings of the origin of Islam.
III. Reports of Officers and Standing Committees
Dr. Fray noted that it was the 21st birthday of Christina Henderson, President of the Association of Furman Students.
Dr. Fray acknowledged and thanked the members of the Curriculum Committee and the Academic Policies Committee for all the thought and work they have done and will be doing as we prepare for the new curriculum.
Dr. Doug Rall, Chair of the Nominating Committee, MOVED that the following committee changes be approved.
Due Process Committee: Laura Wright replaces Kate Kaup
University Traffic Board: Michael Roddey added to committee
The MOTION PASSED in a voice vote with no opposition.
Dr. Shirley Ritter, Chair of the Curriculum Committee, MOVED that the faculty approve the following catalog courses. Two-digit course numbers will be offered this year; three-digit course numbers will be offered starting Fall, 2008.
CHM 460: Biological Chemistry (4 credit course)
Analysis of biochemical systems from a rigorously chemical viewpoint. Topics include the chemical properties of biological macromolecules, enzyme kinetics and thermodynamics, reaction mechanisms in metabolic pathways, and structural and functional aspects of gene expression. Laboratory exercises involve contemporary methods in biochemistry including high-resolution gel electrophoresis and enzyme kinetic assays. Lab fee required.
CHN 26: Chinese Conversation II (4 credit course)
Continued emphasis on advanced skills of conversation and discussion in Chinese. Special focuses include effective exchange of evolved ideas concerning various cultural topics of interest.
CHN 202: Intermediate Chinese II (4 credit course)
Continued study with emphasis on communication skills, expansion of vocabulary and idiomatic expression. Cultural activities and outside readings required.
CHN 301: Intermediate Chinese III (4 credit course)
Continued study emphasizing oral skills and idiomatic usage. Students will be required to speak extensively in class. Supplementary materials will be added to the text.
CHN 302: Intermediate Chinese IV (4 credit course)
Continued study emphasizing oral communication skills and idiomatic language usage. Additional materials will be used to further develop the student's ability to speak, understand, read and write Chinese.
ENG 340: Early Modern Drama
Major works from the golden age of English drama. Students will read Shakespeare along with work by his contemporaries, Marlowe, Jonson, Webster, Middleton, Ford, and others.
ENG 402: Shakespeare on Film and In Production
Students will study Shakespeare’s plays through films that have been made of them, by studying productions available during the semester in which the course is taught, and by staging scenes from the plays. Shakespeare’s written texts may be studied but will not be the primary focus of the course.
ENG 405: Studies in Gothic Literature An examination of literature that evokes terror and horror, explores the possibility of supernatural forces, portrays mental disintegration, transgresses social, political, and moral norms, and exposes cultural anxieties and oppression. Topics and texts may vary.
HIS 315: Historiography (4 credit course)
Exploration of the definition of historiography and studies of varying schools of historiographic interpretation.
JPN 202: Intermediate Japanese II (4 credit course)
Builds upon and enhances the proficiency developed through the first intermediate course in Japanese by reading short works of fiction and nonfiction and through discussion and writing practice.
JPN 301: Intermediate Japanese III (4 credit course)
A continuation of the intermediate sequence emphasizing oral skills and idiomatic usage. Students will be required to speak extensively in class. Supplementary readings will be added to the text.
JPN 302: Intermediate Japanese IV (4 credit course)
A continuation emphasizing reading, writing, and oral communication skills and idiomatic usage. Supplementary readings will be added to the text.
MSL 101: Introduction to Leadership I (0 credit course)
Introduction to challenges and competencies critical for effective leadership. Development of life skills such as goal setting, time management, physical fitness, and stress management as they relate to leadership, officership, and the Army profession.
MSL 102: Introduction to Leadership II (0 credit course)
Overview of leadership fundamentals such as setting direction, problem-solving, listening, presenting briefs, providing feedback, and using effective writing skills. Exploration of dimensions of leadership values, attributes, skills, and actions in the context of practical, hands-on, and interactive exercises.
MSL 111: American Military History (4 credit course)
Historical perspective on decisions made by American military leaders and study of major military engagements from the colonial period through the current operating environment. Examination of motivational devices, battle strategies, rules of engagement, supply management, transportation, and logistics. Review of approaches officers used throughout history to lead their troops into battle and inspire them to victory that cadets can continue to employ today.
MSL 201: Foundations of Leadership (2 credit course)
Explorations of creative and innovative tactical leadership strategies and styles by examining team dynamics and two historical leadership theories that form the basis of the Army leadership framework. Aspects of personal motivation and team building are practiced by planning, executing and assessing team exercises and participating in leadership labs.
MSL 202: Foundations of Leadership II (2 credit course)
Examination of the challenges of leading tactical teams in the complex Contemporary Operating Environment (COE). Terrain analysis, patrolling, and operation orders. Continued study of the theoretical basis of the Army leadership framework exploring the dynamics of adaptive leadership in the context of military operations. Cadets develop greater self awareness as they assess their own leadership styles and practice communication and team building skills.
MSL 301: Tactical Leadership (2 credit course)
Study, practice, and evaluation of adaptive team leadership skills learned throughout the first two years of the Military Science Leadership program while presented with the demands of the ROTC Leader Development and Assessment Course (LDAC). Challenging scenarios related to small unit tactical operations are used to develop self awareness and critical thinking skills. Systematic and specific feedback on leadership abilities within the 23 leadership dimensions.
MSL 302: Applied Leadership (2 credit course)
Continued development and preparation for the demands of ROTC Leader Development and Assessment Course (LDAC). This course, coupled with LDAC, serves as the final evaluation of the Cadets’ leadership philosophy, style and character prior to taking a position on the Cadet staff. Increasingly complex and challenging leadership scenarios to develop ability to lead under pressure. Systematic and specific feedback on leadership abilities within the 23 leadership dimensions.
MSL 401: Developmental Leadership (2 credit course)
Develop proficiency in planning, executing, and assessing complex operations, functioning as a member of a staff, and providing performance feedback to subordinates. Situational opportunities to assess risk, make ethical decisions, and lead fellow ROTC cadets. Lessons on military justice and personnel processes prepare students to transition to becoming an Army officer.
MSL 402: Adaptive Leadership (2 credit course)
Exploration of the dynamics of leading in the complex situations of current military operations in the Contemporary Operating Environment (COE). Examination of differences in customs and courtesies, military law, principles of war, rules of engagement and law of land warfare in the face of international terrorism. Students will also explore aspects of interacting with non-government organizations, civilians on the battlefield, and host nation support.
REL 150: The Bible in the Public Square (4 credit course)
Basic biblical literacy necessary for engaging issues in the public sphere in which the Bible exerts a defining social and cultural influence. Topics will vary but may include teaching the Bible in the public schools; the Bible and evolution; apocalyptic discourse; the Bible in the gay marriage debate; the Bible and the construction of the Other; Biblical scholars in the public sphere.
REL 411: Ancient Israelite Religion (4 credit course)
History and development of religious life in ancient Israel from its beginnings in Bronze Age Canaan to the emergence of Judaism in the 5th Century BCE. Topics include the emergence of monotheism out of Israel's polytheistic context; conflicts over orthodoxy, heterodoxy, and syncretism; the details of Israel's cultic practices, including sacrifices, communal gatherings, and varieties of religious leadership; and the place of the goddess and other feminine dimensions of deity.
First Year Seminars (FYS) and First Year Seminars—Writing (FYW) The originating department is given in the parenthesis after the title.
FYS: Clothing as Self Expression (TA) (4 credit course)
Students will explore fashion as a form of self-expression and attempt to assess the importance of our personal daily routines relative to external manipulation of our fashion priorities.
FYS: Poetry from the Inside (ENG) (4 credit course)
What makes poetry a distinctive literary genre worthy of our attention? In this course, students will address that question by reading poems, discussing poems, writing poems of their own, and talking with some visiting poets.
FYS: Rogue States (PS) (4 credit course)
Rouge states are considered to be outlaws in the international system. They are said to engage in the production and proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and the sponsoring of international terrorism. This class discusses the security threat emanating from rogue states in a post-cold war and post-9/11 world.
FYW: Man vs. Machine (CS) (4 credit course)
Popular culture has depicted the prospect of intelligent machines as a threat to the humans that serve as their models. This course examines the enterprise of creating an intelligent machine and what it might imply about our own species.
FYW: Popular Culture, Crime and Justice (SOC) (4 credit course)
Crime is considered a major social problem in our country, but our understandings of crime and justice are derived more from indirect mediated images than direct personal experience. Popular culture, distributed through mass media and composed of popular news and entertainment, is a major source for shaping our understandings of the world, especially when it comes to crime because crime is a staple of mass media. Through books, movies music and television—crime enters our home. The course has three main goals. First it examines images of crime and justice in popular culture and compares them to scientific data regarding the nature and extent of crime. Second, it considers the sources of these popular culture accounts of crime and justice. Third, it evaluates the influence popular culture has on understandings of crime and criminal justice policy. A major theme of the course is that mass media and popular culture reflect and reinforce underlying issues and concerns about crime and justice, and that these images of crime and justice change over time. Consequently, it uses a socio-historical perspective to examine crime and justice in American popular culture and connects those images to broader social issues
FYW: Confronting Democracy and Public Education (ED) (4 credit course)
From the letters and public writings of Thomas Jefferson to the debates among Governors, Presidents, and Superintendents of Education, public discourse in the United Stated never strays too far from, “Why universal public education in a democracy?” This course will explore the history and arguments about universal public education in the US. We will read and debate major works directly addressing education along with two novels that dramatize the complexity of being a teacher. Some of the leading thinkers about education to be read include Thomas Jefferson, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, John Dewey, Paulo Freire, bell hooks, and Maxine Greene. Novels included are Barbara Kingsolver’s Animal Dreams and John Irving’s A Prayer for Owen Meany—both of which explore main characters who are teachers.
Dr. Fray asked if there was any discussion. Dr. Rall, Mathematics, asked which courses were truly new courses and which courses were merely being re-numbered. Dr. Ritter explained that no courses in the list were there for re-numbering. Even if the description presented is very similar to a previous description, all of the courses submitted for approval are new or have substantive changes.
The MOTION PASSED in a voice vote with no opposition.
Dr. Ken Abernethy, Chair of the Academic Policies Committee, MOVED that the faculty approve the following courses for CGA and Concentration Credits. Dr. Fray stated the faculty would discuss each section of the recommendations separately, but vote for the report as a whole. A section may be amended when it is being discussed. Amendments may also be made after all sections have been discussed.
Recommended for Visual and Performing Arts (within Core: Human Cultures category) credit:
ANT 204: Understanding Modern Japanese Society Through Films
Survey of various facets of modern Japanese society and culture, including family, community, ethnicity, life cycle, education, gender, religion, work, as well as cultural aspects of economic and political systems through films and readings.
CHN 225: Chinese Film
This course engages students in cultural, intellectual, artistic and social issues that lead to an informed understanding of Chinese film, film analysis and China. Selected films are organized under the topics of gender, ethnicity, melodrama, and urbanism. Two outstanding directors, Chen Kaige & Zhang Yimou, are examined in conclusion.
Dr. Fray asked if there was any discussion on courses recommended for Visual and Performing Arts (within Core: Human Cultures category) credit. There was no discussion.
Recommended for Natural World (within Core: Empirical Studies category) credit:
EES 21: Environmental Science
Study of biogeochemical cycles and human modification of the natural Earth system. Includes consequences such as natural hazards, depletion of resources, waste disposal and pollution, population and the environment; and environmental regulation.
PHY 104: Energy – Of Man, Creation, and Calories [Formerly PHY 14] The concept of energy treated from the broadest possible perspective. Emphasis on the four laws of thermodynamics and the four black-hole analogs. With this foundation the various thermodynamic aspects of energy are treated as they relate to a variety of areas, including the impact of energy on environmental aspects of human life.
Dr Fray asked if there was any discussion on courses recommended for Natural World (within Core: Empirical Studies category) credit. There was no discussion.
Recommended for Global Awareness: Humans and Their Natural Environment credit:
EES 21: Environmental Science
Study of biogeochemical cycles and human modification of the natural Earth system. Includes consequences such as natural hazards, depletion of resources, waste disposal and pollution, population and the environment; and environmental regulation.
PHY 104: Energy – Of Man, Creation, and Calories [Formerly PHY 14] The concept of energy treated from the broadest possible perspective. Emphasis on the four laws of thermodynamics and the four black-hole analogs. With this foundation the various thermodynamic aspects of energy are treated as they relate to a variety of areas, including the impact of energy on environmental aspects of human life.
Dr. Fray then asked if there was any discussion for courses recommended for Global Awareness: Humans and their Natural Environment credit. There was no discussion.
Recommended for Human Behavior (within Core: Empirical Studies category) credit:
FR 405: Introduction to French Linguistics
French 405 [FR36] presents a descriptive analysis of the French language from the smallest linguistic units to the largest units -- from sounds, words, and sentences to discourse. Course topics include the historical development of the French language, standard vs. non-standard French, language variation and sociological factors affecting language use.
GER 405: Introduction to German Linguistics
German 405 [GER36] introduces the student to the concept of German as a modern, evolving human language. The course presents German as a synchronic phenomenon with emphases on phonology, morphology, syntax, and sociolinguistic and regional varieties as well as a diachronic phenomenon utilizing a chronological and cultural survey of the development of German from its earliest forms.
HES 221: Motor Development
Principles of growth and development as related to neuromuscular integration and motor learning. Topics include skill acquisition, skill refinement and adaptation of techniques for special populations. Laboratory experience in motor development included as well as work with atypical clients in the exercise science setting.
LNG 210: General Linguistics
Introduction to the nature, structure, and functions of human language. Topics include design features of language; phonology, morphology, and syntax; semantics; and language variability.
LNG 220: Linguistics Analysis
Builds upon the principles presented in General Linguistics and applies them in the analysis of further topics such as writing systems, language comparison and change, language acquisition and learning, and artificial and non-human communication systems.
SOC 211: Introduction to Criminology
A basic introduction to the field of criminology; the criminological enterprise, measuring criminal behavior; victims and criminals--profiles; theories of crime causation--biological, psychological, and sociological; crime typologies--violent and property. Briefly discussed: cops, courts and corrections.
SOC 212: Law and Society
The course uses a sociological perspective to examine the relationship between law and society. Consequently, it has two major goals. First, it examines how social forces influence the nature and content of law. The first portion of the course examines law and social control in society from a cross cultural and historical perspective. It looks at theoretical explanations of what “law” is and how it is formed. Second, it explores “law in action.” The second portion of the course looks at how laws are implemented. It introduces students to fundamental problems encountered in the administration of the American criminal justice system. It analyzes how the system of law and social control works by examining its various components--lawyers, police, courts, and corrections. Each component is examined as an organizational structure with its own needs and interests. Also studied is the interaction between the various components of the criminal justice system and larger legal, political, and social communities.
SOC 231: Media, Culture, and Society
Examines the relationship between media and society. Looks at various aspects of media, including television, radio, movies, popular music, the internet, advertising and public relations. Addresses the issue of how social forces shape media content, especially public and political interests. Also examines how needs of media organizations influence images and ideas presented. Finally considers the ways in which media influence society.
SPN 405: Introduction to Spanish Linguistics. Designed to serve as a systematic linguistic study of Spanish phonology, morphology, and syntax, Spanish 405 [SPN36] also considers the historical development of Spanish from its earliest stages to the present as well as the language's regional, social, and contextual variations, and its presence in the United States.
Dr. Fray asked if there was any discussion on the courses recommended for Human Behavior (within Core: Empirical Studies category) credit.
Dr. Gil Einstein, Psychology, asked about the scientific methods which are included in the linguistic courses.
Dr. Abernethy, noting that no one from linguistics was present, commented on the committee’s deliberations on these courses. The committee did question Dr. Jerry Cox, Modern Languages and Literatures, concerning the empirical methods used in the courses and requested additional information. Dr. Cox’s response satisfied the committee that the courses would use empirical observational methods and models.
Dr. Einstein asked if the observational methods were rigorous empirical methods. How were models derived and how were they tested?
Dr. Abernethy responded that that the committee’s interpretation was that observational methods were used to formulate, test, and reformulate hypotheses. There are no statistical methods used in the classes other than descriptive.
Dr. Ken Peterson, Economics, stated that he had some reservations as well and asked what proportion of the class was dedicated to empirical methods. Dr. Abernethy said that the methods were embedded in the entire course. While there was no percentage given, the committee was satisfied by the descriptions that the courses met the requirement.
Dr. Dan Koppleman, Music, stated that he shared these concerns yet felt that he was not qualified to judge courses in this subject area. Dr. David Rutledge, Religion, stated that Dr. Kristy Maher, Sociology, was a social scientist on the committee and qualified to assess the methods. He also mentioned that the emphasis for the qualification for Empirical Studies was on empirical methods including qualitative and observational methods.
Dr. Einstein stated that the exposure to the scientific method is important in the modern world and he wanted to be convinced that these courses would provide that exposure. Dr. Maher said that the content analysis involved in the courses appeared to provide adequate exposure to the scientific method.
Dr. Abernethy said the committee looked at the curriculum guidelines which required empirical data to test hypotheses and these courses seemed to fulfill the requirements.
Dean Tom Kazee, Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean, spoke as a social scientist who sits on the committee and said the methods can be systematic and scientific while not being quantitative. These non-quantitative methods can be rigorous and provide an understanding of science. The committee was satisfied that these courses met the demands of an Empirical Studies course.
Dr. Rutledge asked if the courses would be taught through the English Deptartment. They will be taught through the Modern Language and Literatures Department. Dr. Rutledge then asked if other courses in the MLL Department, specifically those concerned with political science and political theory, would be submitted for credit as Empirical Studies courses. They will not.
Dr. Lon Knight, Chemistry, stated that all data is information. He asked what would prevent any course from meeting the Empirical Studies Category. Dr. Abernethy responded that the committee would have to be convinced that data is being collected and used to formulate and evaluate hypotheses. In the case of linguistics, data collection devices were being used to carefully pull out observations on language.
Dr. Stanley Crowe, English, said there was a linguist, Dr. Melinda Menzer, English, who might ask for Empirical Studies credit for a course offered by the English Department.
Dr. Peterson asked what role does hypothesis play. Is it more than just an observation? Is the hypothesis data driven with additional data to test hypothesis?
Dr. Paul Wagenknecht, Chemistry, asked if there was any statistical analysis for the data. Dr. Abernethy answered there was no sophisticated data analysis.
Dr. Bill Allen, Chair of MLL, said he had no background in linguistics but would try to stand in for Dr. Cox and read from his detailed response to the APC. In LNG 220 there is data collection. The class works to design a data collection instrument, and then data is analyzed by the class as a whole and put into a written report. Dr. Einstein noted there was nothing about quantitative data analysis in the response, and he wishes it was clearer. It is possible that the class discusses the data and reaches a consensus, but it is also possible that the analysis is rigorous. Dr. Maher stated that the requirements do not mandate quantitative methods, it requires either qualitative or quantitative.
Dr. Joe Pollard, Biology, asked if there should be an amendment. Dr. Brent Nelsen, Political Science, said the faculty could amend a section without splitting the motion.
Dr. Einstein asked if we pass this motion, could students satisfy the whole Empirical Studies requirement by taking linguistics courses. Dr. Abernethy said yes – that was possible.
Recommended for Global Awareness: World Cultures credit:
ANT 204: Understanding Modern Japanese Society Through Films
Survey of various facets of modern Japanese society and culture, including family, community, ethnicity, life cycle, education, gender, religion, work, as well as cultural aspects of economic and political systems through films and readings.
CHN 220: Survey of Chinese Culture
The course is a survey of such aspects of Chinese culture as Confucianism, Taoism, Souls and Ghosts, Buddhism, the Monkey King legend, Chinese modernity, and Communist totalitarianism. It familiarizes students with these topics through the study of a broad array of cultural, philosophical, historical, literary and theatrical texts.
CHN 225: Chinese Film
This course engages students in cultural, intellectual, artistic and social issues that lead to an informed understanding of Chinese film, film analysis and China. Selected films are organized under the topics of gender, ethnicity, melodrama, and urbanism. Two outstanding directors, Chen Kaige & Zhang Yimou, are examined in conclusion.
ENG 471: South Asian Cultural Studies: Literature and Film
An introduction to the complex array of issues essential to understanding South Asian cultures in the contemporary context. We will examine literary texts and films through interpretive approaches appropriate to the pluralistic cultural traditions of the region and informed by current debates in the Humanities.
PS 46: Politics of China
Examination of the political, social and economic factors affecting the Chinese Communist Party and its relationship to the Chinese citizenry. Analysis of the domestic and international challenges confronting the Chinese state.
Dr. Fray asked if there was any discussion on the courses recommended for Global Awareness: World Cultures credit. There was no discussion.
Recommended for Analysis of Text (within Core: Human Cultures category) credit:
CHN 220: Survey of Chinese Culture
The course is a survey of such aspects of Chinese culture as Confucianism, Taoism, Souls and Ghosts, Buddhism, the Monkey King legend, Chinese modernity, and Communist totalitarianism. It familiarizes students with these topics through the study of a broad array of cultural, philosophical, historical, literary and theatrical texts.
ENG 201: British Literature to 1798
A broad survey, covering the Middle Ages, the Renaissance and the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Authors studied might include Chaucer, Spenser, Donne, Shakespeare, Milton, Dryden, Behn, Pope, Swift, Johnson, Wollstonecraft, and Wordsworth. Required essays test students’ abilities to employ the standard concepts of literary analysis.
ENG 202: British Literature since 1798
A survey of important and interesting works of Romantic, Victorian, Modernist, and Post-Modern British Literature.
ENG 302: Literature of Early Modern Britain
A study of literature written during the reigns of the Tudors and the early Stuart monarchs when England began to develop a distinct cultural identity. Emphasis is on poetry and prose.
ENG 311: Settling: Writing of English America to 1830
Study of writers living on the eastern seaboard from the colonial period through 1830. Besides focusing on major works by Bradstreet, Franklin, Brown, and Cooper, the course considers such forms as the sermon, captivity narrative, autobiography, and romance and such concerns as the problematic role of writing in dispossession and nation founding.
ENG 340: Early Modern Drama
Major works from the golden age of English drama. Students will read Shakespeare along with work by his contemporaries, Marlowe, Jonson, Webster, Middleton, Ford, and others.
ENG 402: Shakespeare on Film and In Production
Students will study Shakespeare’s plays through films that have been made of them, by studying productions available during the semester in which the course is taught, and by staging scenes from the plays. Shakespeare’s written texts may be studied but will not be the primary focus of the course.
ENG 403: Faulkner
A chronological study of the development of Faulkner's art from Flags in the Dust to Go Down, Moses. Attention paid to the concept of Yoknapatawpha County and to the various innovative narrative techniques Faulkner employed.
ENG 404: Major Figures in Early Modern British Literature
Study of works written by major authors in the reigns of the Tudors and the Stuarts. Students may study (among others) Sidney, Spenser, Wroth, Marlowe, Jonson, Milton, or the major lyric poets. Typically, the course will focus on major works in their entirety written by single authors except, perhaps, in the case of the lyric poets. Shakespeare will usually be studied elsewhere.
ENG 405: Studies in Gothic Literature
An examination of literature that evokes terror and horror, explores the possibility of supernatural forces, portrays mental disintegration, transgresses social, political, and moral norms, and exposes cultural anxieties and oppression. Topics and texts may vary.
ENG 415: Studies in Contemporary American Literature
Readings in American literature from 1950 to the present, with emphasis on what might make this recent writing different from what came before, or possibly “postmodern,” in terms of aesthetics and cultural context. Course may address fiction, drama and poetry or concentrate on a single genre.
ENG 422: Literature of the South
Focus on the dialogue about race, class, and gender that takes place between writers such as Faulkner, Warren, Gaines, Welty, O'Connor, Walker, and Alison
ENG 423: Literature of the Irish Renaissance
Study of the remarkable literary flowering contemporary with the late nineteenth-century movements in Ireland that led to the creation of the Irish Free State in 1921, and with the difficult historical circumstances faced by the new nation in the first 20 years of its existence. The major figures studied are Yeats, Joyce, Synge, and O’Casey.
ENG 451: Film Analysis
Film Analysis introduces students to the critical analysis of film. As a first step, we consider an issue that we will examine throughout the course: namely, “film and reality.” We move on to explore some "classical" renderings and revisionary “readings” of some established film genres (for example, film noir, romantic comedy, melodrama). We proceed to the fundamentals of film form, examining principles of narration and narrative construction in the "Classical Hollywood Cinema"; in this context, we also consider the properties of nonnarrative formal systems by looking closely at documentary, abstract, avant-garde, and independent film. In the fourth part of the course, we take up fundamental elements of film style: mise-en-scène, cinematography, editing, and sound. Coincident with this "formal" analysis of film will be an introduction (throughout the course) to the major theoretical issues taken up in classical and contemporary film theory: the specificity of film language; authorship; spectatorship and audience; the apparatus; the nature of the gaze; and notions of difference (race, gender, sexuality).
ENG 455: Interpretive Issues in Early Modern Literature
Study of early modern British literature in relation to modern theoretical or interpretive concerns. Focusing on literary texts (broadly defined), the course will explore the application of the term “Renaissance” in English literary and cultural history. Topics may include (among others) the early modern period as a crux in the histories of science, individualism, gender and sexuality, privacy, literary criticism, and authorship and/or the place of period texts in emerging theories of literature and history.
ENG 461: Critical and Cultural Theory
This course seeks to introduce students to some texts and contexts in contemporary critical theory and cultural studies. We will read work in structuralist/poststucturalist, psychoanalytic, deconstructive, feminist, queer and postcolonial theory. We will explore some of the major assumptions informing each approach in order to indicate the varied voices within each field, and to attend to the ways in which these approaches remain distinct and yet speak to and influence each other in compelling ways. Among the issues to be taken up in the course: subjectivity, difference, representation, and the ethics and politics of interpretation. Readings include works of fiction, film, and texts by theorists such as Sigmund Freud, Ferdinand de Saussure, Roland Barthes, Jacques Lacan, Julia Kristeva, Jacques Derrida, Paul de Man, Henry Louis Gates, Judith Butler, Constance Penley, Leslie Rogers, Homi Bhabha.
ENG 471: South Asian Cultural Studies: Literature and Film
An introduction to the complex array of issues essential to understanding South Asian cultures in the contemporary context. We will examine literary texts and films through interpretive approaches appropriate to the pluralistic cultural traditions of the region and informed by current debates in the Humanities.
FR 332: French Literature and Civilization II
An interdisciplinary introduction to French civilization, literature and fine arts from 1600 to 1800.
FR 333: French Literature and Civilization III
An interdisciplinary introduction to French civilization, literature and fine arts of the 19th and 20th centuries, including authors of the Francophone world.
FR 415: French Romanticism
Study of selected works of the principal literary figures of the first half of the nineteenth century in France. Poetry, prose fiction, and drama included.
FR 417: French Realism and Naturalism
Study of selected works of the principal literary figures of the second half of the nineteenth century in France. Poetry, prose fiction, and drama included.
GRK 321: Greek Epic
Selected readings from Homer: Iliad or Odyssey. Attention is paid to differences between Epic and Attic idiom, poetic features (e.g. metrics, figures of speech), ancient scholarship on Homeric poetry, and the influence of Greek epic on later Western epic poetry. Course may be repeated once with change of author or topic.
PHL 201: Ancient Philosophy
The growth and development of philosophical thought from Thales to Aquinas.
Dr. Fray then asked if there was any discussion on the courses recommended for Analysis of Text (within Core: Human Cultures category) credit. There was no discussion.
Recommended for Core: Ultimate Questions credit:
REL 42: Islam
An examination of the origins and development of Islam, the world’s second largest religious tradition. Particular attention is given to the formation of Islamic faith and practice as well as contemporary manifestations of Islam in Asia, Africa, and North America.
[Note: previously approved for World Cultures]
SOC 233: Sociology of Religion
Examines religion’s role in social cohesion and conflict, in continuity and change. A central focus is contemporary American religious life and its mix of seemingly contradictory trends.
Dr. Fray then asked if there was any discussion on the courses recommended for Core: Ultimate Questions credit. There was no discussion.
Recommended for Ancient Greek and Roman Concentration credit:
HST 95: Byzantine History, 50-1500
As part of a study abroad program, this course traces the history of the Byzantine Empire from its Roman origins (50 A.D.) to the fall of Constantinople (1453 A.D.).
Dr. Fray then asked if there was any discussion on the courses recommended for Ancient Greek and Roman Concentration credit. There was no discussion.
Dr. Fray then asked if there was any discussion on the report as a whole.
Dr. Einstein MOVED that the five linguistics courses, French 405, German 405, Spanish 405, Linguistics 210 and Linguistics 220, be deleted from the report.
Dr. Crowe spoke against the amendment. He stated that criminology and sociology are sciences and linguistics is a science. The rules of language change, and no one has doubted that linguistics is a science. Dr. Allen, MLL, also encouraged faculty to vote against the amendment as precedent has already been set with the approval of other courses.
Dr. Jim Guth, Political Science, spoke in favor of the amendment. He fears it is becoming possible for a student to design a curriculum without exposure to all disciplines, resulting in a relatively narrow experience.
After a standing vote the MOTION to amend the report FAILED.
Dr. Knight, Chemistry, asked for clarification on the relationship to the CRC report and the committee’s assessment of courses for approval for special credits. Dr. Abernethy clarified that the criteria used by the committee does not come from the original CRC report, but from the questions developed by the Core Course and Global Awareness subcommittee of the Implementation Task Force as a guide to faculty for submitting courses proposals. The APC uses the responses to these questions to assess whether a course meets a requirement.
The MOTION to accept the report as submitted PASSED by a voice vote.
IV. NEW BUSINESS
Dr. Marty Cook, Mathematics, MOVED that the following Resolution be passed by the Faculty.
Resolved, That the faculty approve the report of the Strategic Planning Committee entitled, "Engaging the Future: A Strategic Plan for Furman University, 2007-2011." Dr. Beckford, Music, seconded the motion.
Engaging the Future
A Strategic Plan for Furman University
2007-2011
Note on the Revised Plan
In May 2004 the Board of Trustees and University faculty approved Engaging the Future: A Strategic Plan for Furman 2004-2006. At the center of this plan was a charge to the University to undertake a comprehensive assessment of the curriculum and academic calendar. Since such an assessment had the potential to reshape Furman’s academic landscape – and thus had wide-ranging consequences for the life of the University as a whole – the Strategic Planning Steering Committee recommended that the plan be revisited once the evaluation of calendar and curriculum was complete. That point has now arrived; the faculty voted to substantially reshape the curriculum and implement a new academic calendar in the fall of 2008. Accordingly, the Steering Committee was reconvened to refresh, extend, and elaborate more fully a strategic plan to serve the University for the next four years.
The revised plan presented below is built on the firm foundation of the plan approved in 2004. The four guiding principles of the plan remain unchanged, as do the broad outlines of how to achieve those objectives. At a programmatic level, the new plan is a blend of initiatives first identified three years ago – some of which have already been implemented – and many new concepts, opportunities, and challenges identified since then. Oliver Wendell Holmes once said, "I find the great thing in this world is not so much where we stand, as in what direction we are moving. To reach the port of heaven, we must sometimes sail with the wind and sometimes against it; but we must sail and not drift, nor lie at anchor." Engaging the Future: A Strategic Plan for Furman 2007-2011 follows the course laid out in 2004, but defines it with considerably more detail and texture than its predecessor.
Preface
Colleges are paradoxical places. They embody tradition and revere continuity yet are constantly changing. For over 180 years, Furman has maintained a steadfast commitment to liberal learning and spiritual reflection. Yet it is a much different – and much better –institution today than when it was founded in 1826. Furman’s success in adapting to profound changes in knowledge and society is rooted in its commitment to excellence and its ability to envision the future and respond strategically. Excellence demands that Furman nurture its strengths while embracing innovation, improvement and planning. Introduced in 1997, the Furman 2001 strategic plan featured an array of initiatives promoting Furman’s distinctive commitment to engaged learning, a problem-solving, project-based, participatory approach to education. Students, faculty and the wider community have benefited greatly from this commitment to active learning.
Guided by the Furman 2001 plan, the University established the Christian A. Johnson Center for Engaged Learning, expanded opportunities for student internships and undergraduate research, increased applications for admission by 25 percent, raised alumni support of the annual fund to the coveted 50 percent level, increased the diversity of the student body, and raised faculty compensation to more competitive levels.
The momentum generated by Furman 2001 has emboldened the University to raise its sights and address new needs while sustaining many current initiatives of proven success. Engaged learning has helped set Furman apart from other colleges, but we must continue to find new ways to apply its premises and benefits across the campus. Likewise, this new strategic plan envisions information technology as an organic feature of the Furman experience affecting virtually every area of University life.
To ensure the vitality of the academic program, Furman has undertaken a comprehensive reassessment of the curriculum, graduation requirements, and the academic calendar. We will enhance the academic program so as to cultivate greater intellectual excitement. A Furman education must begin with a first year experience that excites students’ intellectual curiosity and alerts them to the benefits of engaged learning. We also must do more to encourage intellectual communities and develop in our students the habits of mind and heart that will foster lifelong learning.
Strategic Goal I: To Enrich the Intellectual Climate
“To invigorate intellectual life at Furman inside and outside the classroom.”
Furman’s central mission is to provide a comprehensive liberal arts education to a diverse, eager, and accomplished student body. By teaching critical and imaginative thinking and by stressing engaged learning - helping students assume greater responsibility for their own education - Furman extends the liberal arts beyond the insular classroom and promotes collaboration among students, faculty, and the community. Through its curricular and co-curricular programs, and through the habits of mind and heart those programs cultivate, Furman intends to create and to nurture a varied and congenial community of students, faculty, and staff - a community characterized by intellectual and ethical curiosity, by a truly global awareness, by respect for others and for the natural world, and by a lifelong commitment to the life of the mind.
Having incorporated engaged learning into the University’s way of life, Furman can now, in accord with this dynamic approach to education, continue to transform its curriculum and its programs, the teaching and learning strategies it employs, and the technology and facilities it uses to deliver them. By engaging students from their very first year here, by using emerging technologies in teaching and learning, and by encouraging students to reflect upon—and thereby enhance—their own education throughout their time here, Furman will continue to foster excellence in liberal arts education.
Academic programs
Student recruitment and retention
Strategic Goal II: To Support the Development of Students, Faculty and Staff
“To promote the holistic development of all members of the Furman community.”
Furman’s campus comprises many groups: freshmen adjusting to college life, students seeking both intellectual challenge and direction, student-athletes stretching their minds and bodies, international students exploring a foreign culture, seniors preparing for life after Furman, staff contributing in a variety of capacities, and faculty embracing roles as teachers and scholars, mentors and advisors.
The University is dedicated to meeting the distinct, but often interconnected, needs of these disparate groups. In doing so, Furman recognizes the importance of enhancing personal and professional growth; providing academic and ethical guidance; and developing the whole person through diversity in thought and culture.
Students
Faculty and staff
Facilities
Information technology
Strategic Goal III: To Advance Environmental Sustainability
“To strengthen our commitment to the environment by promoting sustainability through educational programs, campus operations/construction practices and public awareness initiatives.”
The Furman community is passionate about preserving the environment, a sentiment that was made tangible when the Board of Trustees unanimously approved the above statement in February 2001. Students, faculty and staff have demonstrated this commitment on campus and in the community, frequently in collaboration with neighboring organizations, to reduce our footprint on Earth and live environmentally sustainable lives. With environmental responsiveness instilled deep in its philosophy, the University serves as a model for its communities.
Furman students find that personal responsibility toward the environment is very much in harmony with the University’s cooperative spirit and fundamental approach to engaged learning. Just as we value intellectual curiosity and creativity, we must ensure that students come away from the Furman experience embracing environmental citizenship.
Strategic Goal IV: To Serve the Greater Community
“To serve Greenville, the Upstate, South Carolina and alumni worldwide as a catalyst for improving quality of life.”
Furman operates within the context of many communities and audiences who connect regularly with the University on many levels. Furman’s community programs and initiatives are designed to improve the lives of the people they reach. These interactions offer students, faculty and staff collaborative opportunities outside the usual campus activities and recognize Furman’s acknowledged responsibilities as a citizen of the community.
Through public presentations of lectures, symposia, performances, athletic events, other learning opportunities and interaction worldwide through the Internet, Furman emphasizes its role as an engaged member of the greater community.
Beyond Greenville, the creation of the Hollingsworth Scholars program and the statewide expansion of the Diversity Leadership Academy have raised the University’s profile within South Carolina. Furman is a private college with a very public mission. It aspires to be the first liberal arts college in the nation with statewide programming and stature.
Statewide leadership